Goddamn it, Ellis
by MonsterV
Summary: Collection of drabbles/chapters involving the group, mostly Nick and Ellis bickering. Takes place during the events of L4D2, the Passing, and after rescue (depending on the chapter). Eventual Nellis.
1. Chapter 1

Here's a wee collection of mostly Nellis drabbles I'm doing. Takes place throughout and after the campaigns. Some might be along the more dark theme, some serious, some silly, some romantic, some of Nick just being an asshole. It's a wide spectrum of whatever happens to come to mind. Rated M for language, violence, and possible male/male. Also, in every drabble, Nick says "Goddamn it, Ellis" at least once.

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><p>Time frame: During L4D2 campaign<p>

Rating: M for language

Relationships established: None yet (Nellis later)

Description: Nick's hot and in a shitty mood.

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><p>"It's so damn hot!" Nick complained, propping his ax against the side of a building to push the sleeves up on his shirt and jacket.<p>

This was not the way to be dressed in such a sticky climate. His upper body was one big sweat stain and his clothes clung uncomfortably. He did the best he could, unfastening a few buttons and trying to roll up his sleeves. Short of taking his jacket off and leaving it behind, this was as cooled off as he could get.

Everyone was feeling the heat. Rochelle was looking a little green, practically dripping sweat, and Coach kept using the front of his shirt to mop sweat out of his eyes. Ellis wasn't making any complaints, but the entire back of his shirt was damp and discolored, clinging to his spine, making strong shoulder blades strain at the bloodstained fabric.

"We need to get to a safe house, kids. Old Coach is about to have a stroke." Coach groaned loudly.

"Its so hot the infected aren't even making an effort." Rochelle noted. It was true. She took out several infected with no effort and almost no specials showed up. The sweltering son was driving everyone to their breaking point.

"Coach, you smell like ribs…I kinda like it." Ellis muttered, leaning in to sniff his companion.

"Gimme some space, kid." Coach poked the younger man away with the butt of his gun.

"The South, the fucking south!" Nick was still complaining, "Go to Georgia, they said. Good gambling, they said. Perfect weather! Loose, good-lookin' women."

"Hey, shut up." Rochelle snapped.

"Sweetheart, I'm a man. I have needs. And when I don't have those needs satisfied, I bitch. If I don't bitch, I beat the shit outta something. My bets are on this guy." Nick jerked his thumb in Ellis' direction.

"Shit, you couldn't take me without a weapon, and ya know it." Ellis laughed. "You're too damn old."

"Settle down, son. I'm older than Nick, and I could hand you your ass." Coach retorted.

"You aint old, Coach. Just Nick. Nick's old cause he acts old…and dresses like a banker lady."

"Goddamn it, Ellis! This is a _man's_ suit, costs more than your life." Nick bitched, stepping toward the youngest member of the group.

"Oh yeah? More than $500?" Ellis smirked, putting his face closer to Nick's, causing him to step back.

"$500, shit my socks cost $500. $500 isn't shit." Nick gave the younger man a playful shove. It didn't look playful, but it was. As a man that was naturally a dick, Nick's playfulness with Ellis tended to be a bit rough.

"You spent $500 on your lady socks?" Ellis found this more and more entertaining by the moment. He stepped ahead a few paces, checking some loose apartment doors.

"No. I was baiting you. You're a special breed of moron, you know that? Who the fuck_-Ellis, pay attention-"_ Nick snapped his fingers to get the younger man's focus back on him instead if testing the door to a possible safe house, "Who the fuck pays $500 for a pair of socks? No one even sees a pair of socks. Whoa- wait up. You said your life costs $500?"

"Well, yeah. That's what it cost to bring me into this world."

"What cheap ass hospital did your parents go to? A shack, with some woman named Aileen performing procedures with hay hooks and some bandaids on her fingers?" Nick shook his head in disbelief.

Coach chuckled.

"Hospital? I wasn't born at a hospital." Ellis said this as if it was not a big deal at all. His voice wasn't excited like it got when he told Keith stories. "My mom was on the way to the hospital when she had to pull over and have me in the same back seat I was conceived in. See, there was a bunch of blood and baby goo all over the seats after I came out, so my dad had to pay to re-upholster the car. Total was $500."

"So, after a slimy little baby ruined your mom's cooter, they didn't think to go to the hospital anyway? Ya know, to check on their kid?"

"No. As far as I know, they just went home."

"Goddamn it, Ellis. Get outta my face and into the damn safe house! I swear to god, your mom left out the part in the story where she had to unravel the umbilical cord from around your damn neck." Nick was trying to sound angry and annoyed, but a smile pulled at the corners of his mouth as he pushed the younger man through the doorway, stepping aside for Coach and Rochelle before stepping inside himself and closing the door.


	2. Chapter 2

Time frame: Swamp City

Rating: M for language/zombie violence

Relationships established: None yet

Description: Shenanigans involving Swamp City

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><p>"Morning all." Rochelle was up at the crack of dawn, unable to sleep long anymore. She sat up, along with her companions. She and Coach stopped at sitting, and Ellis, who was already sitting in a kitchen chair remained there. He was trying to come out of sleep as Nick stood and entered the kitchen, noticing several items on the table that weren't there before.<p>

"What's this?" He asked, motioning with his gun.

"Just some stuff I picked up." Ellis answered, voice still heavy from sleep.

"Just some stuff you picked up?"

"That's what I said." The younger man answered with the patience of a saint.

"Where did you just pick these up at?" Nick scoffed in disbelief.

On top of the table was a bottle of BBQ sauce, a box of tampons, another box of saltines, toilet paper, and several candy bars.

"There's an abandoned AmPM down the street. We passed it on the way here. I went last night." Ellis answered, smiling to himself.

"Last night? You risked your fucking life for tampons? For tampons, Ellis? What do you plan on doing with those?" Nick complained.

"Well, since Ro got her period-"

"Ellis!" Rochelle scolded.

"Sorry. Well, since Ro has lady things happening, I figured, why not? The rest of all this just happened to be left behind. I got the candy cause I have been told a million times that chocolate helps with cramps and she wasn't doin so hot yesterday." He nodded to Rochelle, who instantly got over her PMS being announced to the room.

"Thank you." Rochelle looked like she was close to crying, odd for her tough-girl nature.

"Nah, don't worry about it. Consider it a thanks for runnin around KiddyLand with me." Ellis remembered the two of them, back to back killing some clowns.

"By the way, got _you_ something else." Ellis eyed Nick, reaching around in his pockets, patting himself here and there before finding what he was looking for.

He extended his hand out in front of him toward where Nick was standing. The older man took note of this and hesitantly held out his hand under Ellis'. He felt something smooth and heavy weigh down on his palm.

"A bar of soap? You got me a bar of soap?" Nick eyed the thing. It was new, smelled nice, but had no brand.

"Yeah, you were throwing a fit about 'bacteria this' and 'bacteria that' yesterday so I thought...ya know...soap." Ellis shrugged.

Nick actually smiled, for the first time since the world went to shit, he smiled. It wasn't a huge smile, but it was much better than scowling.

"Okay, slick. I'll admit that. But you should have had someone go with you." Nick replied, tucking the bar into his pocket. _I'm using this later._

"I tried. Coach was too tired, and you told me to eat shit." Ellis replied.

"I did not." Nick argued.

"Yes, yes you did. I woke you up and asked you to come with me and your exact words were, 'Ellis, eat shit' so I went by myself."

"Nick is pretty much right. That was damn foolish. Never again, little man." Coach threw in.

"Well, whose ready to trudge through some bacteria-ridden little town? I don't know about you, but I want to be as far out of here as I can get by the time the week is out. This needs to all just have been a bad dream real fucking soon." Nick announced, prepping himself to go out of the safe house.

"Right behind you." Rochelle agreed.

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><p>"Hey, you guys ever watch that movie where they trick the zombies by walkin like them? Think it works?" Ellis asked as they trudged through the swamp.<p>

"I don't know, Joe Dirt. Why don't you go give it a try?" Nick answered.

"First of all, Joe Dirt was from Louisiana, not Georgia. Second of all-"

His explanation was cut off by the sounds of sobbing.

"Shit, there's one of them witches nearby." Coach warned, turning off his flashlight.

Thus far, the transition through the swamp had gone over smoothly. There were plenty of infected, by they were easy to pick off. With the sniper rifles available, most of the specials were brought down before they got close enough to be a threat.

"Don't worry about it. Everyone just walk around her." Rochelle suggested. The witches were always a pain in the ass and the group needed to conserve their ammo.

"I agree. Ellis, turn your damn light off." Nick snapped, trying to avoid stepping on any twigs as the group walked a full circle around where the witch sounded like she came from.

"Nick's mom at 3:00." Ellis said quietly, not entirely sure they were far enough from the witch to make any noise, but it wasn't a wonder for long when Nick drew his gun and shot the spitter in the face.

"Wow, that would have been hilarious... if I didn't completely hate my mom." Nick kept walking, ignoring the surprised look on the youngest group member's face.

"Hey man, I-" Ellis started to apologize.

"GODDAMN JOCKEY THING!" Coach yelled, stumbling about and falling over a tree root with the creepy little special infected on his back. They rolled down a steep hill and into the swamp water. "Get it off!"

The others followed suit as quickly as possible, and this time it was Ro's sharp shooting that blew the back of the Jockey's head to bits. The guys helped Coach up out of his near drowning position.

"Damn, that's not right for a man to be ridden like that." Coach grumbled, chuckling at his own joke with a husky 'heh heh heh".

"Well, we made it to the plane, at any rate." Rochelle noted, pointing to a crashed airplane completely blocking their path.

"Only one way to get past it, going through." Ellis noted.

The four trudged several yards farther, preparing to enter the broken side of the plane before some infected dumped out, along with a hairless, humanoid thing that belonged in Silent Hill.

"HOLY DICKS!" Nick yelled, taking a couple paces back, "What the fuck is that?"

His yelling apparently angered it because it bolted in his direction on all fours. He shot at it, continuing to back up as fast as he could in the knee deep swamp water, but it caught up quickly, knocking him into the murk.

"Shoot it! Shoot the damn thing!" Nick tried his best to hold it off with the handle of his ax, unable to let go and look for the gun he dropped. "Any time now!"

It didn't take long for Coach to put several bullets in it and Nick let it drop as soon as he was sure it was dead.

"To answer your question, that was a Mud Man. Ran into one back when I was with the last group."

The group checked the rest of the plane for any supplies available, but all that was laying around was a couple of old handguns.

"Why the hell are there guns on a plane?" Rochelle wondered aloud.

"You can't carry a gun on a plane?" Ellis questioned.

"No, sweetie, you can't."

"Hm, news to me. This is my first time on a plane."

"Oh really? Well, Ellis if your sister-mom could see you now, all grown up on a _flying machine._" Nick said 'flying machine' with an imitation of Ellis' accent.

The youngest of the group smirked.

"You know that's a stereotype. People from the south aren't into incest...I mean, I guess some are, which is why the stereotype exists. But I never knew anyone like that, and my parents weren't related." Ellis explained, not taking Nick's cruelty to heart.

"Something was up in that gene pool. You're like a giant goddamn five year old."

"Sorry, Nick. We can't all have spitter-moms." Ellis retorted, pushing open the door on the other side of the plane. His eyes widened when the door practically flew off and made a deafening noise.

"Goddamn it, Ellis! That noise is gonna draw a horde!" Nick complained, picking up one of the handguns off the floor that he didn't want a few minutes ago.

And it certainly did draw a horde. At least 50 infected showed up, three jockeys, one hunter, and one smoker. Fighting them in the confined space of the plane just made it more difficult. The group couldn't get out of the open door, being that infected kept pouring through. In the tussle, Nick managed to find himself under a Hunter's pin, but it didn't have a chance to start tearing his flesh off before the man he just finished insulting blew its face off. He smirked at the gambler, pulling him to his feet.

"Thanks champ."

"Yep. You got red on you, buddy." Ellis pointed at the pieces of hunter head/face painting the front of Nick's suit before heading out the door with the others.

"Goddamn it..." Nick said under his breath, this time with a grin creeping over the corners of his mouth.


	3. Chapter 3

Time Frame: End of Swamp City

Rating: M for language

Relationships established: None yet, or very light Nellis if you squint.

Description: Nick and Ellis watch a movie.

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><p>"Hey Nick." Ellis called, getting Nick's attention as he passed by the downstairs den of the safehouse they were currently inhabiting.<p>

The younger man figured it would be best to catch his somewhat-friend after he'd been in the bathroom with his soap for nearly an hour. Maybe after feeling as close to clean as possible when all he had was bloody clothes would put him in a good mood.

"Yeah?" Nick paused just outside of the room. This den was tiny, big enough for a couch and an old book case.

"Do you wanna watch a movie with me?" Ellis offered, patting the weather worn couch beside him.

"Yeah. Yeah Ellis, I do. How about we just go down to the electric company and since we're both qualified electrical engineers, we can just turn the lights back on and watch a movie. Maybe I'll pick up nachos on my way home." Nick smiled sarcastically.

Nope, false alarm. Nick was _not_ in a better mood.

"Well, before you got into one of your miserable old man sass-parties, I was gonna say that this little DVD player has a battery." Ellis replied, holding up the little machine before sitting it on the arm of the couch.

"I'm not old, goddamn it." He settled on that, unable to further bash the other man for being smart enough to pay attention to the DVD player's power source.

"Uh huh. You're grumpy and old. Now take a seat, since you said you would. We got a couple to choose from. There's this _What Dreams May Come_ one and then there's _Old Yeller._" Ellis held up each movie box.

"Okay...what the fuck is wrong with the family that lived here? They have two movies and that's it? Two fucking horrible depressing shitty movies? We live in a depressing goddamn world where we kill things or otherwise come up on already dead _human beings_ and my salvation is choosing one of two depressing ass flicks that should have never been made? You know what, I hope they got killed, this family. I hope each one of them got ripped to shreds-" Nick was ranting, like he did. Nick's rants were almost as bad as Ellis telling Keith stories lately.

"Well there you go not lettin me finish again. Nick, I only got two hands, unless you want me to hold up our other options with my feet." Ellis scoffed, pointing at a small stack of dvds by the player.

"There's more?" Nick asked, almost in disbelief. This was too good to be true.

"_Sleepless in Seattle?"_ Ellis asked.

"No."

"_The Da...Vinsee Code?"_

"DaVinci Code, dumbass. And no...I haven't read the book yet."

Ellis shook his head.

"_The Muppets?"_

"Goddamn it, Ellis."

"Okay, keep your pants on. There's _Close Encounters._ Wanna watch _Close Encounters_?"

"As if being in the same room with you isn't uncomfortable enough, I do not need to watch almost two hours of intermittent naked guys." Nick answered, starting to become flustered.

"Naked guys? Buddy, I think you're thinking of the wrong movie. Its _Close Encounters of the Third Kind._ Its actually a good one. Its about aliens and shit. C'mon, I promise you'll like this one." Ellis was trying not to laugh, patting the couch beside him again.

"Well, since that seems like the only option that won't make me kill you..."

"Trust me, when this is over, you'll pretty much love me for introducing you to it."

"I find that hard to believe."

The two sat together as the movie progressed and Nick felt the man beside him relax into the cushions. No one would ever get him to admit it out loud, but this was absolutely okay. Nick couldn't remember being this confortable in ages. For the first time in a long time, he wasn't annoyed at Ellis, wasn't worried about the zombies, and almost felt normal again. Yes, off in the distance he could hear the many sounds of the infected blending into the night, but it was far off enough to where it didn't matter. Nick was a realistic guy, and having shelter and a semi-full stomach seemed like all he needed.

His eyes opened hours later, adjusting to the dark. He must have fallen asleep, but it was definitely still night time so it could not have been for long. The battery to the DVD player died, leaving the screen black. In his sleep, Nick must have stretched out to get comfortable and he did a damn good job of it. He was comfortable. Comfortable and warm. But it wasn't that stuffy warm he'd been forced to endure with this southern weather. It was an even warmth.

He peered downward, noting the source of this warmth. It was Ellis, sound asleep, curled up into himself save for one arm wrapped around Nick's waist. His head rested on the older man's lap and the two were wound closely together, being that they slept on such a small couch and there was no room to spread out. Had the kid been awake, Nick would have banished him to another room but with him sound asleep, fuck it. Nick decided to let him be, let him get a full night of sleep. Nobody was around to see the two of them sleeping together and who would care? Their positions were still innocent enough to pass of as two guys that just fell asleep. The way Ellis' arm was draped over him could have easily look like it just dropped that way when he fell asleep.

Besides, Coach was completely passed out. His snores were warning enough. If not the snores, his approaching footsteps would have woke Nick (a very light sleeper) before he was able to enter the room. Rochelle still wasn't feeling well. Her cramp medicine ran out and she was sleeping off a very long day. Neither of them were going to be spying through the house.

Nick adjusted himself, trying to move as little as possible.

"Nick?" Ellis snorted, "like the movie?" He was clearly not awake, just talking in his sleep, but the older man answered anyway.

"Yeah, it was okay. Not good enough to make me fall in love with you like you said." He snarked.

"Hmm.." Ellis snorted.

"Goodnight kid." Nick smirked, closing his eyes as well, sinking off into the first easy sleep he had since before jail.


	4. Chapter 4

Time frame: Hard Rain

Rating: M for language and m/m

Relationships established: [Secret] Nellis

Description: A moment shared during first aid treatment.

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><p>(NOTE: This chapter takes place directly after my other story, Payback. If you haven't read it, do so, unless you are fine with the summary, "Ellis blows Nick in the safehouse.")<p>

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><p>Despite Nick's immediate fear of being discovered, Ellis kept his word and did not say a thing regarding what happened between them. Not to Coach, not to Rochelle. Hell, he didn't even bring it up with Nick when they were going someplace just the two of them. Aside from a new little half-smirk Ellis would give him, he acted completely as though nothing happened at all. They still talked without an elephant in the room, he still told his stories, still got jumped on by specials all the time, and time went on.<p>

That rain never did let up. Though it took a significant amount of time at any given area the group tried escaping from, the rain made this trip the most difficult. Because of the flooding and the cold, it took four days to get from the cane field to the fuel, and in the morning they would have to go back the way they came and make a second trek through the field that almost ended one of them.

These last few days kicked everyone's asses. All the water seemed to make the witches come out of the woodworks and it seemed like no amount of first aid lasted very long. The group stayed held up in the safehouse; a gray concrete thing that would have already been cold without everyone drenched to the bone in rain water.

"What in God's green made you provoke that witch, you crazy asshole?" Ellis nagged.

He and Nick were in the tiny upstairs bathroom while Coach and Rochelle had the whole downstairs. They took to providing first aid in groups of two, and Ro usually found herself paired up with Coach anyway. She seemed to have no problem trusting him.

At that moment, the younger man was helping Nick out of his bloodstained suit jacket and blue shirt. His clothes were soaked in blood on the left side and once he was bare above the waist, the source of all the blood was apparent. Along his left ribcage were four deep gashes, as well as another three on the back of his left forearm. The witch took a swipe at him before he caught her. His attempt at killing her with a single shot to the head did not go as planned and he found himself on the ground, desperately trying to hold her hands away while Coach and Ellis took turns bashing her over the head with cast iron pans.

"I thought I had the shot." Nick answered, wincing as an alcohol-soaked rag was pressed into the wounds on his side.

Red-tinged alcohol dripped into his pant leg, further ruining his outfit. He sighed at this but was in enough pain that complaining seemed like it took too much energy.

"Well, you obviously didn't have the damn shot." Ellis started.

"Yeah, I see that, now. You planning on nagging me to death to finish the job for her?" Nick was in no mood.

"It just wasn't a risk you needed to take, man." He didn't say anything else as he continued to clean and bandage Nick's wounds.

His gentleness was nothing short of amazing. Having an open wound cleaned usually ended in agony, but something about the way that Ellis took his time made first aid a little more tolerable. Nick imagined that he probably had a good deal of practice patching up that buddy of his, the one that was always getting mangled.

"That should hold til morning. I'll put clean bandages on when the bleeding stops." He said quietly after securing the last piece of tape in place on Nick's arm.

"Uh huh, your turn, now." He replied.

The southerner pulled off his dirty bullshifters shirt and dropped it on the floor next to the pile of Nick's clothes before turning his back on his companion and bracing himself on the sink.

He'd had a run in with a Charger earlier that day. He'd been drawing it away from the second witch of the day so as not to startle her when it picked him up and brutally slammed him against a building, shattering a window in the process. His entire back was one large bruise, already becoming an angry purple, and it spread to his right arm from shoulder to elbow. One eye was also swollen shut from when the Charger dropped him on his head after Rochelle shot it.

"Damn." Nick muttered. He examined the bruising and aside from a gash on the other's lower back, there was not much for him to treat. This must have happened when the window broke.

"Hey, Deliverance, you didn't notice the goddamn hunk of glass in your back earlier?" He asked, pulling it from the wound slowly, causing the younger man's muscular back to flex in pain.

"No, something back there hurt but I didn't know it was a piece of glass." He answered, obviously wincing, waiting for Nick to finish bandaging as the two remained in silence.

When at last the wound was covered, Nick stood up to admire his handy-work, placing his hands on the younger man's shoulders.

He was close, Ellis could feel Nick's breath and sense that he was only a tiptoe away. His palms slid down the southerner's flexed arms until he reached the wrists and traveled back up to grip Ellis' biceps, using this open moment to press against the younger man's back. Ellis' breath hitched when he felt something warm brush against his neck. It was a barely there touch, but he was sure that he felt something. It made butterflies rise in his stomach when it happened again. A kiss. It was Nick's mouth exploring the tight cords of muscle of his neck and shoulders. With each kiss, Ellis wanted more and more not to move, not to even breathe for fear of spooking Nick and putting an end to what was happening, this sudden warmth and tenderness between them.

This was not like Nick. He was not a gentle guy, not romantic either. Of course he'd been in relationships, some were even 'serious' relationships and he wasn't violent with women, but he'd always been far from sweet. His idea of romance was always a fast, frenzied romp in a public place. Now he was pressing into another man's body, feeling that man's heart beat while he wrapped his arms tight about a narrow waist.

"_Nick..._" Ellis finally whispered after what felt like a long time, "you kissin me?"

"Shut up." Was the answer he got before the older man nipped at the helix of his ear. "I've been thinking about doing this since you blew me."

Ellis placed his right hand over top of Nick's, leaving one hand to continue bracing himself against the sink.

"What happened to that being a one time thing?" He asked, not wanting to get his hopes up about something happening between them again if Nick were to come to his senses anyway.

"Well, fine. _Correction_, this is only happening twice. Happy?" Nick snapped.

"Yep." Ellis replied as Nick turned him to where they were facing one another and pressed the younger man's back against the closed door.

He took a moment to gaze at this gorgeous boy's body before saying _fuck it_ in his own mind and connecting their mouths again. This time it was Nick's choice to kiss Ellis. He didn't have to, he wasn't surprised into it. He wanted to do it, and he would have to make up some excuse to satisfy himself later. He'd say he was desperate as hell. Right now, it felt good and he didn't care.

The kiss deepened, just like it did before, except both parties were actively participating. Both pairs of hands roamed over bare skin, fingers combed through sweaty hair. Mouths panted and pressed and angled as tongues lapped at one another. The kiss became rushed and needy and Nick broke off for air before attacking Ellis' neck again. With his head light from arousal, his hand cupped between the younger man's legs without a second thought.

"Whoa, hey." Ellis straightened up, pushing his companion's hand away.

"Too far?" Nick asked, snapped out of momentary bliss.

"Nick, are you sure you wanna do this?" Ellis asked with pleading eyes. Aside from the encounter the two of them had, Ellis had been without sexual contact for nearly a year. He wanted this, wanted Nick at that moment almost as much as he wanted to be rescued. He had to know for sure, had to know that this was actually going to happen before arousal became too peaked and Nick decided to leave.

"Yeah, I guess. It's only fair. You touched mine a week ago so..."

"You don't gotta do this because you feel like-"

"Goddamn it, Ellis." Nick cut him off before kissing him again. His hands pinned the younger man against the door as he continued to press against him, kissing from his mouth to his unbruised shoulder, rutting his crotch against the rapidly hardening one in front of him.

"NICK!" Rochelle's voice called from downstairs. The older man immediately shoved away from the younger and they both busily rearranged themselves and put their clothes back on.

"Later tonight, when I'm on watch. Come see me." Nick whispered, sealing his words with one more kiss before heading downstairs.


	5. Chapter 5

Time frame: The Parish

Rating: M for language and m/m sexual situations

Relationships established: [Secret] Nellis

Description: The group finds themselves trapped in a church and decides to play a game to pass the time.

Warnings: Abuse triggers

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><p>In the last four days, the two managed to keep what they'd done and continued to do together a secret. Every single night they'd wait until both Rochelle and Coach were sound asleep before fooling around in the safehouse. They moved quickly, the apocalypse was no time to take it slow. Over those four days they'd done everything short of penetration, both because they were too nervous to approach the idea and because they were satisfied with the cornucopia of other pleasures they'd lavish on one another. It was going well, they'd relieve all of their built up tension in one night and then wouldn't talk about it the next day. It's what got them through the hard rain. The moments they shared in darkness kept them sane long enough for Virgil's boat to whisk the group away to another hot ass parish, where they were on their own again.<p>

"The planes are still picking up survivors, guys. We have to hurry." Rochelle called, making her way down a fairly empty street.

"What survivors? Last time I checked, everyone is dead except us." Coach replied.

"That's the spirit." Nick agreed, testing doorknobs and finding that the only open house didn't even have a door.

They piled in, killing infected and heading up the stairs to raid the abandoned rooms. There were planes zooming by overhead, close enough to knock stucco from the ceilings.

It was unnerving. Were they actually close to being rescued this time? Was it possible, or like Nick said, was the government shooting the survivors?

"I've been to this area before." Ellis recalled fondly, "Me and Keith went to a concert on his birthday. He turned 17. We got so damn drunk we couldn't in good conscience drive his truck so we slept in the back until morning. It got real cold around 2:30 in the morning and that was just because Keith forgot to set the parking brake so we coasted into the river. The truck was sinking so-"

"Ellis, how in the hell is that boy always coming out of this shit? Hasn't he learned a damn thing?" Coach asked.

"Now that you mention it, he did learn never to take a shortcut through the woods. See, back when we were 16/17, I invited him to come over to my house after football practice. I missed it because I had the stomach flu. Anyway, he said he would be over at 5:00 and we'd hang out that weekend. Well, Keith was never over 20 minutes late for anything, so when 6:00 came around I got a little worried. But I was feelin like hell so I fell asleep. Well, 10:30 at night I get a knock on my door and it's Keith."

"What'd he do, get lost?" Rochelle asked.

"No. He sure didn't. I'm still not clear on what happened. I mean, all I can do is follow my instincts. The guy was all banged up, had a bloody nose and his arms were wrapped real tight around himself when I let him in. He wouldn't talk to me at all, just sat down on my mom's couch, staring at the floor with real bloodshot eyes. For a year after that he would jump if someone touched him and he got real nervous in groups of more than 5 or 6. My first guess was aliens, but then again..." Ellis trailed off, noticing that his other teammates stopped and stared at him.

"Yeah, I don't like this story much either." He finished.

Renewed at the sheer joy at being out of the hard rain, the group seemed to mow through infected a lot quicker than before, the heat and the sun doing wonders for their previous injuries. They weren't as aware of their surroundings as they had to be days before and their gunshots used to kill the Tank drew the attention of several hordes all at once. They pulled back and took refuge in a church, right along the cemetery. Infected lined up around the doors and windows, but the support was holding well enough to fire at them through broken pieces of stained glass. It was a slow process, and by the time the hordes were dead again, the sun was setting.

"Looks like divine intervention. Here's our safehouse for the night." Coach laughed.

"Believe it or not, this is the first time since my grandpa's funeral that I have been to church. Except my family was Baptists." Rochelle commented, checking pews for any leave-behinds.

"I was raised jack-Catholic. Went to a church just like this one when I was little." Ellis added.

"Yeah, my family was Catholic, too. I didn't go to services once after I turned 17...well, aside from my wedding day." Nick was remembering out loud.

"Some poor woman married you?" Rochelle laughed.

"Two poor women married me." Nick corrected.

"Surprise surprise." Coach said, sitting in a pew.

"Well, since we're stuck here until morning. We could play a bit of a game." Ellis suggested.

"Jesus... the fun never stops with you." Nick scoffed.

"You guys like _I never?_" Ellis asked.

"Usually it's funner with beer." Ro complained.

"Well, I found a box of toothpicks in the kitchen of that one house. We can play for toothpicks, and when we get rescued, we will turn them into beers and have a good ass time all over again. Deal?"

"Deal." Ro said after some considering.

"Deal." Coach agreed.

"I am not getting into this...oh hell with it. Fine, I'm in." Nick sat down with the group.

"I'll go first with... I've never been arrested." Rochelle said.

"Gimme a toothpick." Nick muttered.

"Yep, me too." Ellis agreed.

"What'd you do, boy?" Coach asked.

"Bar fight." Ellis answered.

"I never did anything with a man." Coach chuckled.

"Gimme a toothpick." Rochelle rolled her eyes.

"Yep, me too." Ellis agreed.

"El.." Nick's voice held an edge.

"What? One time after a night of drinkin, Keith kissed me dead on the mouth. That counts, right? Like, nothin else happened, but that counts?"

"Yep, it counts." Rochelle smiled.

"Okay, I never got anybody pregnant." Nick said confidently.

"Gimme a toothpick." Coach said. "I never cheated."

Everyone sat silently for a moment.

"Okay, sisters of mercy. Gimme a toothpick." Nick said after a moment.

"Nick, you pig." Ro groaned.

"Aw, you're a dirty old man. Like that dirty old man down the street that always tried to look up my shorts when I was passed out in the front yard." Ellis added.

"Hey, I had my reasons."

"Nah, there's no good reason to cheat." Coach agreed.

"You didn't know my ex-wife. See, a year into our marriage, I find out she's been with three other guys after we said 'I do'. She told one of them that I hit her, and no I fucking didn't. So he tried to pick a fight with me. I hit him in the head with a tire iron, then hooked up with her best friend. I sent her a picture of it on her phone and said, 'I want a divorce, bitch.' Anyway, I have never had an STD."

"Gimme a toothpick." Ellis said, embarrassed.

"Goddamn it, Ellis. Really?" Nick asked, passing his companion a toothpick.

"Yeah. I was going out with this girl. We were together like six months and since she had an IUD, I wasn't using condoms. One day, my junk started to burn, and when it got to me too much to ignore, I went to the doc. Apparently I had the clap. I really wanted to believe this happened for some other reason, but Keith's brother actually pulled me aside and said he slept with her. This was like three years ago."

"Did you get that shit cleaned up?" Nick asked, grossed out.

"Yep. I got the meds and got her the hell out of my life. Went to the bar and had several beers. Keith beat the shit out of his brother."

* * *

><p>The group played and laughed. By the end of the game, Nick had a whopping 43 toothpicks, followed by Rochelle's 29, Coach's 27 and Ellis' 24. They took turns keeping watch and at 2:00am, it was the youngest member's turn.<p>

"Hey goober." Nick sat down beside the southerner toward the front of the church while Ro and Coach slept on the pews toward the podium.

"Hey, you should be sleepin." Ellis smiled when Nick gave him a playful shove.

"Nah, you know I'm not gonna sleep for a while."

"Okay. Want a stick of gum?" Ellis offered.

"What flavor?"

"It's Big Red, so...cinnamon." Ellis answered.

"No. I hate cinnamon." Nick sighed.

"C'mon, what do you got against cinnamon?" Ellis asked, pulling a stick out of the pack for himself but not unwrapping it yet.

"Well if you must know, my dad beat the shit out of me over cinnamon when I was 14."

"What? What happened? Why over cinnamon?" Ellis asked, dropping his stick of gum.

"Listen, kid. Part of me wants to trust you, and I haven't talked about this to anyone, so I'm actually going to go against my better judgment and tell you. But you need to promise not to tell anyone else, okay? Promise?" Nick scanned his companion's eyes for any hint of wavering.

"Of course. I'm good at keeping a secret."

"Okay. Well, I was living in Newark at the time, with my parents. I was the youngest so I was the only kid still living at home. It was winter and my lips were chapped as hell. So I was at the shitty little convenience store around the corner and I got myself some chapstick. Since it was winter, they just had the holiday ones. I had the choice between eggnog and cinnamon. Unfortunately I picked cinnamon. No big deal, right? Wrong. I go home and my dad can smell my cinnamon chapstick a mile away. He flips his shit and starts yelling at me about how only whorey girls smell like cinnamon. He was drunk already, so _treat-Nick-like-crap-game _was full steam ahead.

"He kept going at it, telling me that he already had enough daughters and that someone in this house needed to be a man besides him. He just got more aggressive with it. Told me if I wanted to smell like a whore then I should go outside and start sucking dicks for money. So eventually I got pissed. Keep in mind he's going nuts over a goddamn chapstick. So I said, 'It's a damn chapstick, you stupid asshole.' And he went off, beat the shit out of me in the living room. Broke my hand and wrist, six of my ribs, my nose, bruised my collarbone and hairline fractured two places in my skull."

"I'm real sorry." Ellis answered, laying his hand on the older man's thigh.

"Yeah, it was pretty shitty. Especially because I had to lie and say I got beat up by some crackheads when I went to the hospital because my dad said I would be out of the house if I didn't. That was my old man most of the time. Drinking ass motherfucker and I grew up just like him."

"Nah, no you didn't. You aint shit like him. I don't see that in you."

"Thanks El."

Nick caught the younger man's gaze. "What?" He smirked.

"Can I kiss you, Nick?" Ellis asked in a low voice, cheeks flushed.

"You don't have to ask me, Ellis. I'm not royalty." He started to laugh for only a second before the younger man was on him. Their mouths joined and Ellis' hands cupped either side of Nick's face.

This wasn't just a kiss, it was a _kiss_ if ever Nick felt one. It was strong and passionate and something about such a simple show of affection sent shocks of arousal through the pair instantly. Ellis had a way of doing things. Kissing him was so strange and yet so powerful that Nick didn't want to stop. It built heat between them and the urgency of it jumped to a fevered pitch. The pair were in a rush to pull each other's clothes off as they closed themselves into the confession box, just in case one of their companions were to wake up.

Now naked, the two of them rutted against one another, hands drifted over marred flesh, mouths not sure of whether to stay together or roam about the other's body. After minutes of desperate kisses and the pleasurable friction of bare shafts rubbing to the point of leaving damp stripes on the other's lower belly, Ellis lost his battle and found himself on his knees again. With Nick's fist in his hair as a guide, he wasted no time in taking his lover's cock as deep into his mouth as he was capable. He quickly worked up a rhythm and ideal angle with his perfect plush lips as Nick struggled to stifle moans.

"Goddamn it, Ellis. You're getting so good at this." He sighed, barely able to remain standing.

After only a short time, the gambler sunk onto the floor with Ellis, kissing him once on his lips before positioning the southerner almost on his lap.

"_So fucking turned on right now...I've always wanted to have sex in a church."_ Nick whispered, nipping at Ellis' neck as strong hands took the younger man's hips.

"I want you so goddamn bad, Ellis."

The conman's hips tensed with need, pushing up, using every last ounce of self-control to keep from breeching Ellis right then and there. He was so close that another inch would have done it.

"I want you, too." Ellis moaned, hand pumping his shaft, _"I want you to make love to me, Nick."_

That was it. That was all he needed for consent. That was all his brain could comprehend with is pulse rushing the way it was. Still wet from being blown not long ago, Nick shifted forward, pulling his partner's hips down to meet the pressure of being entered.

It was not an easy task. Ellis' body was not accustomed to this and Nick had only ever done it with experienced women. He didn't know a lot about prepping when a body was too tight. Instead he just pushed, hoping to get through the constricting muscle with a little more effort. He was in, though not buried. The first couple of inches were a struggle alone. The last few were not going.

"Relax El." Nick grunted, trying to deepen another half an inch.

Nick paused. The man under him was stiff as a board. His hand stopped its movement between his legs and he was not moving an inch. In the darkness of the confession box, the gambler leaned in to offer a supportive kiss to a damp cheek.

"You crying, baby?" He asked.

"No." Came a grunt, "No, I aint cryin. Just holding my breath, tryin to get through this." Everything Ellis said seemed forced.

"I'm hurting you, aren't I?" Nick didn't even need the answer. Of course the kid was in pain. Every muscle in his body was drawn tight as a bow. It must have been extremely violating for a man who'd never been penetrated before, and Ellis was failing miserably at toughing it out.

"Yeah...Yeah it hurts. I'm sorry." came an honest answer.

"No, I'm sorry." Nick said, pulling out as slowly as possible. "I don't want this if it hurts you." _Whoa, what the fuck was that about_? This was the very first time the older man sought out sex and didn't get it. He would have thought, given his nature, he would have been a lot bitchier and at least demanded a handjob to get off. But in an odd turn of events, he didn't care right now. He didn't care about finishing. He cared about Ellis.

The two dressed, grabbing their clothes that were just on the outside of the confession box before curling up together on the floor. Nick's arms held the younger, firmer body against his and they rested together.

"I'm real sorry, Nick." Ellis said again.

"It's not a big deal. Maybe I was just going in too dry. If we live through tomorrow, we'll give it another shot, kid. Get some sleep." The older man replied, resting his chin on top of his lover's trucker hat.


	6. Chapter 6

Time frame: The Parish

Rating: M for language and mentions of sex

Relationships established: [Secret] Nellis

Description: Kind of an angsty chapter. Nick is getting in too deep and lashing out.

* * *

><p>"Hey guys, what's the first thing you want to do when we get rescued?" Coach asked as they continued toward the bridge. Besides Ellis, it was always Coach that tried keeping everyone's spirits up.<p>

The parish wasn't taking as long without all of the rain, but the bridge was still off in the distance. On foot it was not easy to scale an entire town.

"Get about three days' worth of sleep." Rochelle answered.

"Take a decent shower. You know, one that's actually hot." Nick threw in.

"Good one." Ro added.

"I'm probably gonna try findin a waffle house. Nothing like a beer, some waffles and chicken all in one place. Me and Keith used to go all the time. Best times we ever had was around 2am on our days off work." Ellis remembered fondly.

"On second thought, the _first_ thing I want to do is maybe locate some of those loose women I was told about and _then_ I'll take a decent shower." Nick's voice threatened to laugh but he was met with a scowl from Rochelle and went back to crossing the street.

Over the next several minutes, Rochelle and Coach covered a lot of ground and Ellis intentionally hung back with Nick. Once the two were out of earshot, Ellis started conversation.

"Nick," He said quietly, "why you so worried about them findin out? Coach and Ro are our friends. I'd like to think they'd understand."

Ellis had a simple heart and he wanted to believe that he knew what made his friend and secret partner tick. Nick was an asshole, nobody could say he wasn't. He said things like that, about women or alcohol, when he wasn't comfortable with something.

"I don't have any friends, kid." Nick answered.

"Come on. We have all been traveling together for...what has it been, almost two months. We're bound to form some kind of connection with each other. Especially you and me. I mean, really there are only like two girls we even seen since this all happened. One girl hates you and Ro would split an ear off you if you laid a hand on her." Ellis explained.

"Psh, that Zoey girl is a bitch anyway. And Rochelle thinks I'm hot. She's always staring at my ass when she thinks I'm not looking. She'd jump if I asked." Nick bragged.

"No, maybe she's always _watching_ your ass to make sure you don't get in trouble. She's good people. So is Coach, and from what I've heard from them I don't have a reason to believe they would have a problem with you and me being...you and me."

Nick kept his word previously, promising they would at least give sex a try again and Ellis was more than willing. He'd gone so far as to find Vaseline for just such an occasion. It was in one of the first aid boxes that Rochelle was carrying and Ellis made the excuse of wanting to give it to Nick because his hair was getting out of control in the humidity. She bought it and when he presented the substance to Nick, the pair scarcely waited for their companions to sleep before trying again. Through trial and error, the two discovered that fingering and slow stretching was key, much to Ellis' embarrassment. They experimented with alternating positions and prostate stimulation and gradually pleasant sex became mind-blowing in a span of several sessions. As it stood, they'd been at it five nights straight and each time it felt better and better.

Better and better except for the last five minutes of their last session when in a fit of his passions, Ellis forgot himself and confessed deeper feelings than lust for the older man. Nick froze like he'd been turned to stone, before simply asking Ellis to turn over and finishing with him from behind.

"Ellis...this...thing we're doing. You know...I mean you _do_ know...we aren't a couple, right?" Nick said everything he was thinking as slowly as he could, hoping Ellis would understand.

"Umm..."

"I mean, you're the closest thing to an available girl-"

"Except that I'm a guy, Nick." He tried to fight off hurt from presenting itself in his voice. "I'm a man. You've seen every inch of me. Shit, you've _had_ every inch of me. How the hell could you be tellin yourself that I'm still anything close to a girl?"

"You're the better looking guy out of the group, more built like a girl than me or Coach. If I close my eyes your lips are like-"

"Okay, can we not?" Ellis said, quietly but with enough conviction to be taken seriously.

"I didn't piss you off, did I?" Nick asked as the two continued walking so as not to draw attention.

"No, I aint mad." Ellis wasn't lying, sadness did not equal anger.

"Good, that's good, right? We're good?" Nick asked.

"Yeah, of course we're good. But you still couldn't get Rochelle." Ellis quickly jumped to another topic to hold onto, trying to mask all of the conflicting thoughts bombarding his mind.

"I bet I could."

"Yeah? What do you feel like partin ways with? Cause you're gonna lose this bet."

"What do you want?"

"How about..." Ellis thought, "Your handgun? Yours is higher powered than mine and I like it better."

"Fine, done. If I don't have Rochelle interested by the end of the day, you get the gun."

* * *

><p>"Hey Rochelle." Nick caught her attention.<p>

"Yeah?" Rochelle was on alert, only half paying attention to her companion.

"After we all get rescued, did you say you had family to go back to?"

"No," Rochelle answered, "it's just me around here. I have family but they're not close and it's unlikely that they were rescued."

"Maybe they were, maybe they weren't. In any case, would you be up for-"

"I know what you're doing, Suit. Knock it off or I'll pop you." Rochelle shook her head almost in pity before laughing to herself.

"Well that was about as smooth as a cat's tongue, Nick." Ellis had a winning grin plastered on.

"Goddamn it, Ellis. That was just a warm-up. Ever hear of a warm-up? I'll regroup and try again later."

"Oh boy, you mean there's gonna be more of this?" Ellis actually chuckled to himself this time, walking ahead of his companion and turning the corner at the end of the building.

"Hey, it's been a while since I had to impress anyone! I've gotten rusty with only zombies to talk to!" Nick called, needing to have the last word. Needing to have the last word _loudly._

Suddenly there was a shriek.

"WITCH!" The youngest yelled, turning and bolting down the street away from the Witch in hot pursuit. During their shenanigans, neither of them heard her sobs.

He made it down the street and turned around a fence before another shriek brought him out of panic, into confusion, and then back into panic. He had one witch coming toward him another witch giving chase. He turned away from the new witch, running back in the direction he came, and skirting around the first witch.

"How the hell did you startle two of them?" Coach yelled.

"Just shoot them!" Ellis yelled, trying to stay ahead of two angry, screaming, swiping witches.

"Draw them over here." Rochelle called, waiting for Ellis to get a safe distance away before lighting the witches up.

"Molotov out!"

The four backed away from the fire, watching the witches scream, burn, and swipe at each other in confusion.

The ground started to shake.

"Shit." Nick groaned, looking around for the source of the shaking.

The whole group was on edge, eyeing the buildings nervously as the ground shaking turned into a roar.

"Tank. Everyone keep an eye out."

The Tank finally came barreling down the street, knocking over fences and pushing past other infected. The four looked for cover as fast as they could and luckily the Tank could not see them yet. He was roaring and throwing debris.

In his rage, the Tank punched a broken down car hard enough to send it flipping down the street. The car smashed into a building, knocking bricks loose, before skidding off the road, over the sidewalk, and directly into Nick's path. He ducked against the building, having no time to do anything else short of protecting himself and bracing for impact. The car landed on its side with the front end propped up on the steps of the building's entrance. The back door was open and bent at an angle pinning Nick's lower leg between it and the ground.

"Hang on!" Coach yelled, dragging Ellis with him to try moving the car.

"_Shitshitshitshitshit!"_ The younger man said nervously, putting all of his weight into the car with Coach, trying to free their companion. Blood was already staining his pant leg.

"It's not gonna move. You need to run." Nick said, calm in the eye of a storm.

"No, I'm not gonna just leave you behind!" Ellis all but yelled, giving the car another shove. "Coach, help me move it!"

"I'm tryin, son. It's so damn heavy." Coach was sweating bullets as it was, his hands were slipping over his grip on the car.

"It's coming!" Rochelle was yelling, firing shots at it as the thing propelled like a gorilla down the path.

"Shit, you're out of time. You need to go, now. You need to go. Ellis, get-"

"No-"

"Yes. Hurry up or you're gonna die. Coach, take him. Just go." Nick was trying to sound unafraid, getting more urgent in his demands as the Tank got closer.

Coach gave the car one last shove before gripping the younger man and dragging him away.

In a last ditch effort, the southerner freed himself from Coach's grasp, running back toward the car, directly into the path of the approaching Tank. He picked up a chunk of cinder block that broke free from one of the buildings and lobbed it into the giant creature, catching it in the side of the head.

"Hey! Over here!" He yelled, getting its attention before running. The Tank noticed, giving chase.

Rochelle caught on and threw a tire rim like a Frisbee, smacking into the Tank's massive arm with only inches before he reached her companion.

"Over here!" She called.

When the Tank turned, Ellis shot it in the back with one of his remaining shells. It was furious, turned around to plow through its latest assault. Rochelle took the open shot and the two continued taunting and shooting the Tank until Coach got the assault rifle reloaded and took the final few shots. The three of them didn't stop moving until the Tank dropped.

"We gotta go get Nick." Ellis recalled, going back to the overturned car.

"You dumb son of a bitch, I said to leave me." He complained.

"Tank's dead. I don't have a reason to leave you." Ellis insisted.

"Goddamn it, Ellis. The planes are gonna leave."

"There's a safehouse up ahead. We'll be fine if we can just get you patched up." Rochelle insisted, helping her two companions try moving the car.

"Nick, we're not gonna be able to move this thing much. We can push it just a couple inches up, but you're gonna have to do the rest and pull your leg out." Coach instructed.

The three pushed the car as hard as they could in unison, and including Nick's right leg pushing as he pulled his left leg away from the door it was just enough. He managed to free himself, not to mention tearing a hole in his pant leg and pulling open an already serious wound.

"Now get up! There's more infected coming." Ellis warned, crutching his incapacitated friend.

* * *

><p>He managed to stifle most of his screams until the group reached the inside of the safehouse. It didn't get incredibly painful until any attempts to clean the wound were made.<p>

It was bad. Upon pulling up Nick's pant leg, blood started pooling on the concrete. A half-moon flap of skin was loose on his calf, cutting nearly down to the bone on the side of his leg, and reaching the bone toward the shin.

"Your tendon is still intact. That's good. You're gonna be able to walk." Coach noted.

"We're gonna have to get you good and high to make it to the plane. Otherwise it's gonna hurt bad." Ellis explained, dumping a couple pills into his hand and passing them to Nick.

"Shit, that looks fucking disgusting." Nick groaned, eyeing his leg and then quickly looking away as Rochelle dumped ethanol over the wound.

"JESUS TAP-DANCING SON OF SAM!" Nick yelled.

"Sorry." Rochelle said softly, trying to be soothing.

"Warn me before you throw the Hell fire on me next time."

The group waited a good 40 minutes after packing Nick's wound as well as they were capable before heading over the bridge. The pills kicked in and Nick was flying. He was a little more unsteady when it came to walking, but with Coach, Ellis, and Rochelle taking turns hanging back with him, they made it through the hordes. Nick was an excellent shot, so he held his own when it came to defense, and the group managed to get onto the plane before another Tank did any damage.

"This is it, this time. We made it." Rochelle sighed.


	7. Chapter 7

Time frame: Cold Stream Pt 1.

Rating: M for language, pilot-murdering, attempted m/m.

Established relationships: Mentions of Frochelle, Nellis

Description: Nick is in chronic pain and drinking seems to help. But Nick is more of an asshole when he's drunk, loud too.

* * *

><p>*Note: Cold Stream is not a canon part of the L4D2 game, so I will be branching off a bit from the canon campaigns from here.<p>

* * *

><p>"You doing okay back there?" Rochelle called.<p>

"Uh huh." Nick answered, but he was not doing okay.

As if being rescued correctly was too much to ask, the four once again found themselves on the ground, in the middle of nowhere, trapped in a mountainous area surrounding a stream. The scenery was nice, and had it not been for crash landing yet again, this would have been an ideal place to go camping. As it stood, nobody was in the mood to be outside.

It had been a two day Hell in this wilderness after the helicopter went down. Everything was going well until the chopper started to become unsteady in the sky and suddenly the pilot was not at the helm. He was snarling and flailing toward the only humans nearby before Nick shot him in the face. It was downhill from there. Luckily some of the trees broke their fall as the helicopter dropped from the sky.

What else could they do aside from taking everything in the helicopter that would be of any use and moving on toward a lookout point? Maybe yet another plane would see them? Maybe Nick wouldn't have to murder another pilot?

"The safehouse is just up ahead, hang in there." Coach called.

They'd been moving ahead at a slow pace. With the rough landing, Nick's leg was in far worse shape than it had been. Even with the pills, walking hurt and running was almost impossible. They did not cover a lot of ground together.

"The sun is going down so we might as well." Ellis was trying to be encouraging, trying to make it seem like it was not just because of Nick that they needed to stop for the night.

The safehouse itself was a dumpy cabin, old and falling into a state of disrepair, but it was definitely not the worst place they had to stay in. It was shelter from the cold that came over the area when the sun went down, and the windows and doors were both holding up, so there was not a lot to complain about.

"Here ya go, buddy. A swig or two might take the edge off." Ellis said, offering Nick the bottle of whiskey he found unopened under the sink.

"Thanks." Nick said, leaning against the kitchen counter to avoid sitting. His leg was weak and if he sat down, he would have to depend on one of his companions to help him back up again.

Coach and Rochelle made themselves busy digging through any leftover cans that might contain some decent food.

"Can't help but notice that this would have been an easier trip with more people." Rochelle started.

"Yeah, the infected aren't really outta control here, but if we woulda teamed up with those people we met back when we had the car, we'd be a lot closer to the lookout." Coach added.

"Hell, if you didn't have an injured, pilot-murdering asshole slowing you down, the same could be said." Nick added, taking in a mouthful of whiskey. "God this tastes like stomach bile."

"Nah, Nick. Don't be like that. It would be the same if any one of us got banged up." Ellis commented, completely sincere.

"Ro is probably just thinkin about that biker guy." Coach prodded, lightening the mood.

"Please, I am not. Well- I guess, maybe. I guess I am a little. Nothing serious, just wondering if they had any better luck than we did."

"Maybe, I wonder if Zoey is doin okay." Ellis added to Rochelle's concerns.

"With the three of them, they probably are keepin it together about as well as we are." Coach was only half-paying attention, leaving the conversation to continue between Rochelle and Ellis.

"You think we'll run into them again?" Ellis asked.

"Why? You actually think you might try talking to Zoey this time?" Rochelle replied, smirking.

"Maybe. But I was askin more for your sake. You think if we met again, you might convince that guy to come with us?" Ellis smirked as well, giving Rochelle a light shove.

"We just met, goofball."

"Yeah, but this is the end of the world. Like I said before, first dates aren't gonna happen anymore. You need to just be assertive and run with it." Ellis couldn't imagine taking his own advice.

Back when the group first ran into the only other threesome left alive, Ellis barely knew the people he traveled with. It seemed like such a long time ago and he had to admit that he probably drove his friends crazy talking about Zoey for a week or so after their meeting. It tapered off to once every couple of days and then when he started secretly 'seeing' Nick, he completely stopped mentioning Zoey out of some confusion for how the ethics for these situations were supposed to work.

But after Nick put him in his place regarding the nature of their relationship, or lack thereof, he once again found it okay to talk to Rochelle and Coach about the others, and about the possibility of meeting Zoey again. He wasn't as excited about it as he'd been in the recent past, but talking about someone that was kind to him made him feel good again.

"I'll talk to Francis if you talk to Zoey." Rochelle dared.

"Well, I could try. I might get all nervous again. I mean, before the zombies, a girl like her was way outta my league." Ellis reasoned.

"But now that the zombies killed off most potential suitors, so..."

Nick sighed loudly, dragging himself across the room with a limp he gave up trying to hide.

"What happened? Did I fall into a coma and land in the middle of the goddamn View? Death, just take me now, I'm gonna hit the hay for a few. My head is killing me in this fucking knitting corner." Nick continued to grumble all the way down the hall until he reached the back bedroom.

"Just leave him be for a bit. That leg tryin to heal is probably wearin him thin." Coach assured the other two people left in the room.

* * *

><p>He got pissed off over an hour ago. He'd been in the back room for most of the evening and Ellis felt it was time to go and check on Nick. He wanted to make sure the older man was okay even if it meant getting yelled at. He knocked on the door twice, waiting an appropriate period of time with no answer before he decided to enter the room anyway.<p>

"Nick, you okay in here?" He asked as his eyes adjusted to the dark.

Nick was laying on his back on the floor. His pants and jacket were thrown in a heap under the window sill and his blue shirt had a couple buttons unfastened. His bare legs were propped on the bed and the near empty alcohol bottle lay a few inches from where his right hand rested.

"Nick?" Ellis called, snapping Nick out of his momentary lapse of consciousness.

"Did I ever tell you about the time that I was Nick and I was an alcoholic?" He slurred.

Ellis went to him, crouching down on the floor beside him. He picked up the bottle and examined it before laying it on the floor again.

"You drank that whole thing?" It was only a pint of whiskey, but for one man to drink by himself, it was a lot.

"Uh huh." Nick nodded, eyes rolling about in their sockets.

"This ain't good. I'm so sorry, man. I didn't know you had a problem."

"Psh, problem? I don't have a damn problem, Aylus. I feel fucking good for once." Nick smiled, trying

to turn onto his side and failing.

"But you're so damn drunk you can't get up." Ellis took his friend's shoulders and helped him turn around, propping him against the side of the bed, where his legs were only a moment ago.

"Nah. Help me up. I'm...I'm fine."

"You ain't fine. How long has it been since you drank like this?" Ellis was tapping Nick's cheek, trying to help his eyes focus.

"Three months…three months since I drank at all. I haven't felt like me in…fuckinlong…" Nick's hand wrapped around Ellis' wrist, pulling him into a kiss.

Ellis ignored the alcohol on Nick's breath as he pulled the gambler onto his lap, missing being kissed. Simply having drunk kisses placed along his neck made him want Nick. They hadn't kissed on the mouth in two days. Sex just turned into sex after Ellis dared question the nature of their relationship. He acted like it didn't hurt, but it hurt bad. Nick meant the world to him and knowing he was only a warm body to the other man wasn't something he wanted to face. He almost hated sex now. Sure, it still felt good, but it was like being someone's whore. It wasn't passionate anymore and Nick always took him from behind now, so Ellis would spend the whole time with his face hidden, forbidding himself to cry. He would warn himself mentally, _You aint a girl, Ellis, toughen up._

His arms wrapped tight around Nick as he returned kisses to the gambler's cheeks and forehead. He tasted like sweat, but he felt so good, so warm again. He felt like the Nick that Ellis tried so hard not to fall in love with. The Nick that held him when they were alone. The Nick that would kiss him just because he liked the feeling of the younger man's lips. The Nick that would accidentally compliment him, accidentally use the word 'we' instead of 'I' when he talked about survival.

Ellis let himself enjoy this. Yes, Nick was incredibly drunk, but it was a kiss. This wasn't hurting anyone. They'd kissed hundreds of times by that point. His mouth trailed down to the older man's neck, one of his favorite parts of Nick's body. He loved the shivers he caused, the way Nick's arms tightened around him.

"Hey Ellis…" Nick groaned.

"Uh huh?" came a moist reply as Ellis detached himself from Nick's skin.

"Fuck me…" he whispered, grinding his hips down into his lover's lap.

That brought everything to a screeching halt. Ellis froze in place, moving back enough to where Nick's lips couldn't reach him.

"Scuse me?"

"You heard me. I said 'fuck me'. I get in the mood when I've been drinking. And you're here, so…" Nick slurred again, trying to connect their mouths.

"You're drunk." Ellis countered.

"So? I want you. I wanna get…fucked so bad…looks like it feels good when I do it to you…" with each sentence fragment, he continued his efforts at trying to get them kissing again.

How did it look like it felt good? Lately, the two wouldn't even look at each other during coitus. It felt better back when Ellis could at least fool himself into thinking the two were making love, back when Nick did everything in his power to make sure his partner wasn't in any pain.

"No, Nick. Not always. It hurts sometimes."

"Kid, I can't feel shit right now-"

"I aint doing this. Not with you drunk." He'd never had sex with an intoxicated girl and didn't plan on breaking his moral record with Nick.

Now it was up to Ellis to make sure Nick wasn't going to get hurt. He didn't want the other man's first time being taken to be painful. He remembered his first time, trying not to scream in pain for fear of embarrassing Nick if the others were to come check on them. He remembered the concern in Nick's eyes when Ellis let on that he was hurting. He wanted to smile at the way Nick stopped immediately and held him close for the rest of the night.

"Baby…come on. Don't be like that. Did I…you mad?" Nick's mouth went for Ellis' neck and his hand cupped the younger man's crotch.

"Stop it." Ellis tried to pull the offending hand away, but Nick's other hand caught him and in a sloppy move, flipped the two onto the floor. Nick was on top, straddling the southerner's hips. Both hands held his wrists above his head. His balance was off, so his weight was really pressed hard on his arms as the older man swayed slightly.

"Come on, El…" he shifted his hips down, grinding their crotches together, waiting for the younger man to harden under him.

"Nick, I don't want to." Ellis didn't struggle. He didn't feel that he needed to. Even drunk, he truly believed Nick would not have forced him.

"Why?" he demanded, letting go of Ellis's wrists to work his pants open. He nearly tipped over onto the floor trying to reposition and had his lover moved at all, he would have fallen.

"Because, Nick…I _love_ you."

Now it was Nick's turn to freeze. He didn't know what to feel, but he was feeling something: was it guilt? Shock? Fear? Disgust? Anger? It certainly wasn't love. No way, he didn't love this dumb kid. No way in Hell. How could he when he was just barely starting to even like Ellis? He stared down at the younger man, whose blue eyes burned into his with…what was that? Anger? No, it was pain. Nick knew pain, and this was pain.

"…Ellis…" he started.

"Listen, you don't hafta say it back. But don't lecture me about it. Don't tell me how to feel. I'm just telling you why I don't want to do this anymore. Because it hurts that I love you and you don't love me and I can't. I can't just keep giving you everything when that's all there is to me. You make me feel so dirty and worthless… I'm so sorry, Nick. I can't just have sex when I love you more with every touch." His eyes were welling up, so he stopped speaking. Ellis was not going to cry like a girl. Nick already treated him like a girl…no, like a whore, and he wasn't going to cry, at least not until Nick stumbled off of him and struggled to get up, leg collapsing under him.

"Hey, that bandage looks damp. Lemme change it." Ellis offered, moving down to Nick's leg, snapped out of his moment of embarrassment and sadness with the simple need to help his friend.

"Knock yourself out." came a totally aloof reply.

Ellis took his time, carefully cutting through the layers of bandage with a knife and when it was completely split, he pulled the wrapping away and lifted the pad.

The wound underneath looked angry. It was red and swollen, leaking puss tinted with blood.

"Ugh, that looks pretty grungy." Nick commented, eyeing his leg in disgust.

"Shit, Nick. Why didn't you tell anyone it was getting like this?" Ellis demanded, worry in his expression.

"I didn't think it would help. We haven't had the best first aid lately. It started hurting a lot after we landed, but I thought I just hit it on something. I have been trying to keep it clean-"

"You have an infection. This is bad."

"Yeah, no shit." Nick scoffed, annoyed and grossed out. "I can't walk on it anymore. I have a raging fever, and I'm probably going to die within the next-"

"You aint. I won't let ya die." Ellis insisted.

"Yeah, well if I do die, know this," Nick slurred, "in the 90s, I watched a movie called _Fight Club_ and I thought Brad Pitt was hot as fuck."

"That's cause you're gay."

"What? I'm not-" Nick stifled a burp, "I'm not goddamn gay."

"You're over here on the floor with no pants on tellin me about Brad Pitt. That's pretty gay, Nick."

"You're fuckin gay, goddamn it, Ellis." Nick insisted, leaning toward the younger man to drive his point home.

"Okay. Settle down. I'm gonna get Ro to help me clean this."

Ellis left the room momentarily, returning with Rochelle, who had a handful of various first aid items. As the pair approached Nick, they noticed that the front of his shirt was damp and the smell of alcohol and bile floated about the room.

"You throw up?" Ellis asked.

"The smell was getting to me." Nick answered as the younger man set himself on the task of cleaning up Nick's vomit. It was all liquid, so it wasn't difficult. Nick's vomiting was unsettling. The smell of the infection was not that bad, not strong enough to smell from where Nick was sitting in proximity to the wound.

"It's probably the fever." Rochelle assured, cleaning the wound the best she could before wrapping it again. She gave the gambler a handful of pills, hoping that it would help take the fever down and relieve pain long enough for him to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Time frame: Cold Stream Pt 2.

Rating: T/M for language and peril

Established relationships: Mentions of Frochelle, Nellis

Description: More of Nick being an asshole, out of pain and frustration.

* * *

><p>Against all odds, the group managed to pull on and get to the next safehouse. It took even longer this time than the day before. Nick was in a state of constant intoxication just to keep himself standing. He took every bottle of alcohol that he found in the cabin and brought it with him. He was sweating and started developing dark circles under his eyes, but he was tagging along. He'd attempted to wash his clothes the night before, hoping that wearing something clean might do something to prevent his infection from getting any worse, but with only cold water and a bar of soap, there was not much he could do. By the time the survivors reached the next safehouse, Nick was exhausted and in a mood.<p>

The others did all they could to stay positive. After all, they were getting closer to the lookout and it was more likely than not that some of the planes flying overhead would spot them. Originally, Nick wanted to stay with the helicopter that they went down in, but it was damaged badly in the crash and infected would have no trouble getting in.

"When all this is over, I owe you a steak." Rochelle assured Ellis, "Thanks for getting my back out there."

"Don't worry about it. You guys all done the same for me when I get in a mess. But I will take that steak. I miss steak. When the world comes back, you and me are gonna have a survivors' night out." Ellis smiled, nudging the only female of the group.

"I mean, if your cool, leather-wearin boyfriend would be cool with it."

"He's not my boyfriend. And what about Zoey? What if she has a problem with you taking other women out for steaks?" Rochelle laughed.

"Well, she's gonna just have to trust me. I don't see no problem with havin friends that are girls, even if you happen to have a girlfriend."

"Really? Did your girlfriends in the past feel that way?"

"Sometimes. Usually. I mean I'd like to think that I was a good guy to be with. I was easy to trust and most of my lady friends weren't a 'threat' to my girlfriend at the time." Ellis explained.

"Really? So you wouldn't stop seeing a friend if your girlfriend had an issue?" Rochelle was interested, leaning into the conversation.

"No. I mean, not unless there was a good reason to. Like if the female friend was completely disrespecting the girlfriend, then yeah. But just because of misplaced jealousy, no. The way I see it, if it's meant to be, it will work out."

"That's a good way to look at it." Rochelle agreed, "I guess it's a good thing Zoey already likes your friends...I mean, the ones that are alive. I mean us."

"Yeah, she is somethin, isn't she? Think I should bring her somethin if I ask her out? Like a spitter's head, or the steering wheel from the Jimmy Gibbs Jr. No wait, I take that one back. I can't bring myself to dismantle that car." Ellis sighed.

"Ugh, shut up, Ellis. Really, I've had enough. I think we all have had enough of this fleeting glance shit you had with some girl that may or may not even be alive still." Nick complained from where he stood in the small room, literally two steps from where Ellis was standing.

"Why's that bug you so much? She was a real nice girl and it was good to see that more people are hanging on." Ellis replied, taken aback.

"That's right. It is nice that more people are still living. You know what isn't nice, though? Hearing you go on and on like a little school girl about some silly crush you developed within five minutes of meeting a person. Are you fucking twelve?" Nick was pinching the tension spot at the bridge of his nose. It had been a long day, and Ellis was not helping. He took another swig of the cheap wine he found earlier that day.

"You haven't seen her in weeks. And in the apocalypse, weeks is almost like years." Nick finished.

"Sorry, just trying to look on the bright side. Just because she liked me instead of you-"

"Liked you? Excuse me? She _liked_ you because she talked to you like a human being? You are so goddamn naïve."

"Why are you getting like this?" Ellis asked, propping himself against the wall.

"Because. I'm getting like this because you drive me nuts!" Nick said this loud enough to draw attention from Coach, who met Rochelle in the doorway of the room, where she was originally heading out for a bathroom break but stopped to gauge the argument.

"Man, you're about a miserable son of a bitch, you know? We can't all be that dark, and anyhow I'm just tryin to think of better times than being around all these zombies. It makes me feel better thinkin about someone that found me interestin."

"She said like 8 goddamn sentences to you. Goddamn it, Ellis! She doesn't put up with your endless babble like the rest of us do! And you know what, she wasn't the one that fucked you so hard you walked funny all week. Was she?" He leaned in and let the venom seep from his voice when he said this.

"Nick..." Ellis' face went beet red and he dropped his gaze to the floor, embarrassed that his friends just heard what Nick said to him and there was nothing he could do to deny it.

"Was it her name you were pushing your face into the bed to keep from screaming? No, I didn't hear no goddamn 'Zoey' cause you were too busy saying _'Nick'._" Nick's face was flushed in his anger and state of drunkenness.

"You're just sayin stuff like that cause you been drunk for two days-"

"Goddamn it, Ellis! Cut the shit. I don't fucking care! I don't want to fucking care anyway. But I give a shit as much as I don't want to and I can't take this anymore." Nick finished his shout and stumbled forward, taking the younger man's face in both hands before roughly connecting their mouths. Ellis stiffened like a corpse, eyes wide in shock as his hands went up, pausing in the air as if he was not sure what to do. Should he push Nick away, or draw him closer?

Nick's mouth sloppily opened, trying to deepen their kiss by forcing his tongue into the southerner's mouth, right in plain sight of the two people they'd been fortunate enough to travel with. Ellis' hands now gently caught Nick's shoulders, ending their kiss by pushing him away but keeping the distance between them very closed in.

"Ellis, I've been such an asshole." Nick stared intently into the eyes of the man he wanted. "Listen, I'm sorry. Something is there between you and me and I'm such a piece of shit for trying to make you feel like garbage because I'm going through a midlife crisis."

"You're 35." Ellis finally said.

"I'm 36 in what I think is a month from now. I'm getting older and balder-" Nick complained.

"Nah, your hair is fine."

"That's not the point. Goddamn it, the point is that I'm not...the same as I was before all this." That was all Nick could think to say.

It was all that made sense. No, he was not the same. He was a jerk, always had been and always will be. But this soft spot carved into him for the most unlikely person was a change of plans. He'd wasn't new to the feelings one had while committed to a relationship, but this was different. This was unlike any traditional bond he'd ever shared. Ellis was...something else. The way he smiled, the way he looked up to Nick like a dumb puppy, the way he was so ready to just give up his entire past and be anything Nick needed him to be without a second thought. And against everything he presented to the world, he wanted that. He wanted Ellis to need him, wanted to give this a try without constantly questioning.

The older man dragged himself a step forward, defeated, and leaned into his companion both out of need for closeness and need for physical support. He'd been standing around drunk for the duration of this argument and his leg was both weak and in immense pain. Like clockwork, Ellis slid his arms around Nick's waist, keeping him from falling in more ways than one.

"Maybe change is good." was all the younger man said, and it spoke volumes.

It didn't seem to matter that people were watching. Rochelle and Coach mustered as much decency as they could and went into the other room, leaving the two alone. It didn't matter, though. They'd seen everything and whether their gaze was full of judgment or not, Ellis would never abandon someone that needed his help, even if that someone treated him like crap in the past.

"C'mon, you need to have a sit down." Ellis continued, crutching Nick over to the empty couch.

He did need to rest. It was apparent being that within moments of lying down and attempting to get comfortable, Nick was either asleep or unconscious. Ellis curled up on the floor beside his injured comrade, telling himself that he would make sense of everything in the morning.

* * *

><p>Morning came and it brought more anguish than the night before. Nick couldn't stand on his leg no matter how hard he tried. He had a fever and felt dizzy and dehydrated. His whole body ached and getting into a sitting positioned took so much energy that standing and walking to the next safehouse was nothing short of impossible. He was barely able to remain awake for more than a few minutes.<p>

"Guys, he isn't gonna make it to the next safehouse." Ellis said the next morning.

Everything felt so somber, so quiet and sad.

"Maybe we can just get to the lookout and then when the helicopters pick us up, we can point them in his direction and make sure they rescue him." Rochelle suggested.

"He won't be able to take care of himself in his condition. He can't move. What if an infected gets in? Or if it takes a few days and he needs food or water?" Coach pointed out.

"I'm gonna stay." Ellis announced.

"Ellis, sweetie-"

"Ro, I can't just leave him behind. Ya know I can't. You and Coach can have the guns as long as I just keep one. I'll stay back and take care of Nick. There's a lot less of them things runnin around here. I think if you and Coach try and make a straight shot, you'll get to the lookout in another day or so." Ellis was explaining, not looking at his companions.

"Sweetie, you know this is bad. He might not make it."

"I know that. But I can't bring myself to let him die alone. I mean, if it happens, then I will catch up to you later, but I'm stayin with him. He's tough as hell and maybe you'll get some help here in time." Ellis looked over at his sleeping gambler.

"Rochelle, I think we can do it. But we gotta hurry. I don't want this guy to die on us." Coach encouraged.

"But-"

"I promise, I will see you guys again, and we will talk it all over. But there's no time. You guys need to go. He doesn't have but a couple of days with the way that infection is looking." Ellis was practically begging now.

"You _be safe_ and don't do anything stupid." Rochelle finally agreed, readying herself to go.

"I won't. You guys be careful. I'll see ya when we get rescued." Ellis smiled, relieved.

"That grumpy son of a bitch is lucky to have you." Ro added as she and Coach headed for the safehouse door.

* * *

><p>Ellis was in complete silence for nearly four hours before Nick woke up.<p>

"Where is everyone?" He asked, glassy eyes searching the room.

"They went to get help." Ellis answered, combing fingers through sweaty dark hair.

"You should have gone with them, you dumb son of a bitch." Nick lectured.

"Shoulda, but I decided to stay here with you. We're gonna get rescued, I promise." Ellis assured the sick man fading away before him.

He hoped he was right, because in all honesty he only believed they would be rescue. He put faith in Coach and Rochelle, but he had no idea if they were going to make it to the lookout. He had no idea if they would be back or if they were still alive at that very second.

"S-cold, Ellis." Nick said.

He was shivering due to the sweat that drenched him while he slept.

"Gimme a minute. I'm gonna clean up your leg and then I'll keep ya warm."

Nick's leg was constantly getting worse. It would look better for a few hours and then it would look like it was going to fall off later. It was sticky, it smelled a bit, and now there were little red lines streaming from his wound across his skin. Blood poisoning. Ellis did not have the medical training to handle blood poisoning. He did all he could to clean the wound before rewrapping it and snuggling up next to Nick on the couch, wrapping their bodies as close as they could get.

Several minutes later, Nick's shivering subsided and he went back into a restless sleep.

Twelve hours elapsed since Coach and Rochelle left and Ellis didn't know if he was waiting for rescue or waiting for disappointment. There was no way of knowing. Mentally, he gave them two days. After two days if help didn't arrive, he'd sent them out to die.

Nick wouldn't eat and wasn't keeping fluids down anymore. It took all of his will to absorb pain pills and not vomit them back up a short time later. He'd wake up in pain, and if it was even close to his next dose, Ellis would give him more pills. He didn't know if he was helping or hurting this situation. For all he knew, he could be slowly poisoning his friend, but hearing the man he loved groaning in pain was torture.

It was lonely here in the safehouse. Nick would wake up and have short conversations with Ellis before falling asleep again. He'd sweat while he slept and then wake up cold. Ellis pulled off his pant and suit jacket, finally removing his shirt when he drenched them with sweat. A wet rag did nothing to break Nick's fever and when he'd get cold, Ellis would cover him with every blanket he found in the safehouse, making sure to put the cleanest one in closest contact.

"Goober, you still here?" He called after waking up briefly.

"Of course I am. Do ya need something?" Ellis offered.

"Just wanted to say thanks for staying. I'd be dead without you." Nick said sweetly before losing consciousness again.

Ellis smiled. That was not like Nick at all. It must have been the fever talking.

"DON'T MOVE!"

Ellis snapped into consciousness with the barrel of an assault rifle in his face. It had been a day and a half since Coach and Rochelle left and the whole time he'd barely left Nick's side. As it stood right now, he'd been laying on the floor beside the couch again, trying to sleep to pass the time. The sun was setting and the light in the safehouse didn't make things very clear.

He did what the voice said and didn't move. Something else was moving. Several somethings. Was it infected? Maybe people? He didn't know. People were talking to one another and finally the heavily dressed man with the gun spoke to him.

"Are you Ellis?" He demanded.

"Yep. I'm Ellis-"

"Are you immune?"

"Yeah. I'm immune. Me and my buddy Nick are immune. He's got an infection though. Not like this kinda infection. He hurt his leg real bad and needs help." Ellis was stammering as more men with guns were examining his companion. They were saying all kinds of codes and official sounding instructions to one another.

"Stand up." the man who was probably a soldier said.

Ellis followed directions, watching the other men as they were looking over a very confused Nick.

"Hey, he's probably real startled. Don't be rough with him." the southerner warned, noting how firmly the soldiers were moving him. They were probably looking him over for bites, and finding none, they offered aid.

One soldier all but forced Ellis onto the helicopter, insisting that the other three were going to transport Nick on a board and bring him on right behind them.

"They're not gonna shoot him, are they?" Ellis begged, not really believing the soldier.

But they kept their word. Nick was loaded onto the helicopter as soon as the soldiers discovered that he did not have any bite marks. They started on much needed medical attention, properly cleaning Nick's leg would and starting an IV tube in his arm.

The entire trip was a blur, and things sped up as soon as the helicopter landed. More soldiers arrived, taking Ellis away from the others and leading him through a doorway without explaining themselves. Frazzled, Ellis tried resisting them and found himself in a small white room, alone. It was a lot like a typical doctor's office, except that there was a bathroom inside and a place to sleep. It was a holding cell. He was locked into a holding cell, and this one had four walls and only a slat of glass in the door to see the outside world.

He'd long since given up struggling or asking questions after soldiers and people in lab coats alike piled into the room, demanding all sorts of tests. A full physical examination was performed in front of a room full of people, blood tests were taken, and questions were asked. It was so much like Ellis' idea of what being abducted by aliens would be like. Several times he asked about Nick, Coach, and Rochelle and several times he was told that his questions would all be answered at another time.


	9. Chapter 9

Time frame: After the events of L4D2

Rating: T/M for language

Relationships established: Nellis

Description: A look into life after being rescued. Introduction of a new character (*Hint Hint: Ellis' past)

* * *

><p>Ellis spent the next three days in near-solitary confinement, and could only imagine the others were doing the same if they were alive. He was allowed to eat and shower so long as he didn't leave the cell he was in. It got to be nerve wracking and after several hours, he would yell at people as they crossed the hall outside, trying to get someone's attention so that maybe he could get answers. This was to no avail, and eventually he surrendered to sleep as much as possible.<p>

During the third day, an official-looking soldier entered the room and offered to answer any questions the captive may have had over the span of his time being held. Primarily he asked about where he was and why he was there. According to the soldier, everybody in the Georgia area that had been rescued and was tested positive for immunity was being kept at this one quarantined sector. It was called Zone 15 and there were bases just like it all over the country. New Orleans was not safe at all, now completely overrun. This zone was in what used to be a neighborhood in Shreveport. The military managed to fence off several blocks of housing, a hospital, and some center-of-town establishments, most of which were closed down and used for base purposes.

Next, the obvious question was regarding his friends, were they okay?

"The two that tipped off the pilot as to your whereabouts are alive and well, going through the same manner of testing that you and all other new rescues undergo." The soldier replied.

"There was a guy with me when I got picked up. He had a real bad leg injury. Did he pull through?" Ellis' heart was pounding, feeling like it weighed a ton.

"He survived his injuries, but his holding has been done in the hospital."

"Can I see him?" _Please let me. I can't take this room no more._

"Being that you have come through the testing, we have no other reason to keep you in holding. You're free to roam around the compound. Don't go beyond the fences, and await further instructions. You'll be issued housing shortly." The soldier was very bland, spoke like a drone.

Ellis didn't care about the soldier at this point, though. He was heading to the hospital building directly across the parking lot from where he'd been held. It was strange, being outside without a gun and not seeing an infected for miles. Instead, there were people. Lots of people, making themselves busy as if nothing was wrong. The air was still heavy, though, like the shadow of doom still hung overhead.

He went to the front desk as soon as he entered the hospital, getting the attention of a tired looking woman working at a monitor.

"Can I help ya, dear?" She asked, heavy Louisiana accent.

"I'm lookin for someone. We were rescued a couple of days ago and I want to see him."

"Are you family?" She asked.

"No, not really. I mean, kinda. He's my..." What _was_ Nick to Ellis?

"Oh. _Ohh._ What's his name?" She eyed the man in front of her, and Ellis chose to ignore the look on her face.

"Nick. He didn't tell me his last name. I guess it never came up. Um...if it helps he had a leg injury."

Against typical regulation, the woman at the front desk told Ellis where Nick would be. Second floor, room 142a. When he got to the correct label in the hall, the door was open. He knocked on it anyway.

"Nick?" He called into the room.

The man in question was sitting against the window, staring out of it when his attention was broken and he turned to answer.

"Hey." He answered, smirking and pulling himself into a stand. He had a crutch propped up on the wall and used it just enough to cross the room and meet Ellis who was already walking his way.

"You doin okay in here?"

"Hell no. I hate hospitals. I look like a fuckin goon." Nick answered. He was gesturing to his clothes, a white tshirt and a pair of loose sweatpants.

"Lookin good." Ellis laughed, also dressed in clothing that was not his. He chose a pair of jeans that were just a touch too big and a black shirt with a beer logo on the front.

"Laugh it up. Assholes _cut_ my pants off. Whole suit, really. Damn pile of scraps now. I guess what I'm wearing now is from Red Cross, since I wouldn't wear the damn ass-flap hospital dress."

"Well, it's good to see your time spent here didn't dampen your mood none." Ellis wasn't sure of what he was supposed to do. The two were standing about two feet apart, but he didn't know if he was allowed to touch Nick or not.

"They have me on some pretty good pain pills. The doc told me they were just about to cut my leg off. I'm so fucking glad they didn't. I took a look at it though, looks nasty. They said I had tissue damage all the way to the bone. If the infection reached my heart I would have died." Nick's voice was crackly, like he had a cold.

"You sound sick."

"Yeah. They had to tube me during surgery, so my throat hurts. I've been on oxygen up until yesterday." He explained.

"You have no idea how glad I am to see ya." Ellis said after a moment of awkward silence. Nick was looking so much better. He wasn't sweating anymore. He looked clean and crisp and like he'd gotten some sleep.

"You and me both. I was getting sick of doctors and the nurses here aren't even hot. I got a sponge bath by a 60 year old woman yesterday. You see Coach or Rochelle by the way?"

"Not yet. I was gonna track them down as soon as I made sure you were okay." Ellis explained, not wanting to make a big deal out of coming to see Nick first.

The older man smiled a half-smile, pulling the southerner by the waistband of his pants into a kiss. A long, deep kiss completely out of character compared to Nick's more hungry kisses in the past. This one was soft, full of longing. His right hand left the mechanic's waist and cupped just under the back of his head to draw him in farther as the younger man's arms wrapped tight around his waist.

"Missed you." Nick said very quietly when they pulled themselves apart enough to breathe.

"I missed you, too. A whole bunch." He said in return, resting against the gambler, taking in the smell of him when he wasn't fighting to survive.

* * *

><p>Three weeks after their rescue, Nick was up and on his feet again. He no longer needed the crutch and his leg was becoming strong again. He said several times that he'd never be caught dead in shorts again, but the scar tissue was getting less thick and softening over time. It took up a lot of room on his lower leg. There was almost no viewpoint of his calf that at least some of the scar was not visible.<p>

The survivors met up again and caught onto how life was going to be in this compound. They were still under assessment, needing to test and make themselves available for compound jobs if needed. At the end of assessment, they would be given something to do. Zone 15 was scheduled to exist for at least 6 months, until cities and towns were rebuilt enough to furnish life. This area protected several hundred people excluding military personnel and housing was assigned on a needs basis. Coach and Rochelle were staying in a small, three bedroom house with a married couple. They chose to stick together because they'd become almost family during their ordeal. Nick and Ellis were issued an equally small two bedroom apartment in a large building. They chose to room together as well, not giving any official reason.

During the time immediately following their rescue, the two men decided to pursue a relationship together, much to both of their surprise. They weren't out in the open about it, not wanting to put pressure on each other. Rochelle and Coach were in on it, the fact that the two men were living and sleeping together as an official couple. It felt new, it felt nice. The way they acted toward one another hardly changed. Nick toned it down and was definitely nicer to Ellis, but anyone that didn't know they were together would not have guessed that the two even liked one another judging by the way they sassed each other back and forth.

The four kept to themselves for the most-part, being that they were still new and wanted to at least be around familiar people while they got used to the post-infection world. As of now, the easiest thing to do was stay out of the way and just gather like everyone else did in the big yard. This yard was the size of two football fields side by side, so there was no real worry about being in close quarters.

"You seem like you're getting around good on that leg, boy." Coach nudged Nick.

"Yeah, it still hurts, but I have these _super_ pain pills so I can stand around like a jackass all day." Nick shifted, taking weight on his right leg instead of the left.

The tightness of the scar tissue was still incredibly uncomfortable. During the helicopter crash, he'd only made the injury worse by straining the tendon and putting a crack in the bone. The doctor said that it was likely going to cause him pain on and off for the rest of his life. Moving in the morning required slow stretching of the flesh around the damaged tissue. Nick hated looking at it, hated talking about it.

"There's not much to do besides standin around like a jackass all day nohow." Ellis pointed out.

"Ellis, goddamn it. There's plenty to do." Nick winked.

Rochelle smiled and gave her friend a playful elbow.

"Keep it in your pants, Italian Stallion." Ellis replied.

"_ELLIS!"_

The four turned toward the direction in which they heard one of their names being called. Ellis scanned through the people all gathered in the yard, but couldn't pinpoint the location of his name. His eyebrows pushed together, looking harder.

"_ELLIS!"_ There it was again, off to the right somewhere.

Ellis waved foolishly in that direction, hoping that maybe a returned greeting would be more helpful in locating the voice that wanted his attention.

Several yards away, a tall, lanky figure waved back. The figure was wearing a navy blue hoodie, with the hood up over top of a trucker hat. It had on a pair of faded jeans with a torn knee and what looked like house shoes.

"Ho-lee shit!" Ellis shouted, taking off running at the figure like a bat out of hell. The figure ran, too, toward the mechanic. They stopped about one foot from one another and the figure pulled his hood down, causing Ellis to shout something and pull the figure into a long hug. The figure returned the embrace, the two of them laughing.

Rochelle brought her gaze to Nick, whose eyes showed incredible confusion. He shrugged without saying a word. His right eyebrow tensed downward and the nerves in his upper lip twitched.

Ellis and the figure, now identified as a man a little taller than Ellis, made their way quickly back to the group, with the figure's arm still looped around Ellis' shoulders.

"Guys, c'mere." Ellis called, stopping and waiting for his friends to come the last couple yards, apparently to meet the figure.

Upon getting closer, the guy in question was white, had red hair under his trucker hat that looked like it was cut with yard trimmers. His hair was straight and messy, much like hair made popular by anime. He had an equally red goat beard on his chin. He had his left lateral incisor missing from his mouth and several scars visible even with a hoodie on. Old burn scars lashed up the right side of his neck and the helix of his left ear had a tattered hole in it.

"Guys, this is Keith." Ellis offered.

Keith extended his right hand to the others, the last two knuckles missing from the middle and ring fingers. A bite mark striped across his wrist.

"Keith, this is my friends Coach and Rochelle." The two shook hands with Keith.

"Nice to meet ya, Coach. Nice to meet ya, ma'am." Keith smiled.

"The guy in the back is Nick. He's my-" Ellis froze. Keith looked over at him, noting the pause.

"-housemate." Nick said, covering Ellis' immediate discomfort.

"Nice to meet ya." Keith was friendly as could be, oblivious to the little exchange taking place between his friend and the older man.

"I can't believe you're alive!" Ellis exclaimed again, hugging the taller man a second time.

"I can't believe you're real." Coach added, "No offense Ellis, but I was starting to think you were schizophrenic."

"Yep, that's usually the case when El starts spoutin off with his damn stories about my many adventures. All of which are true but exaggerated. Example, 90% of my body is burnt, but only like 40% of it is 3rd degree burns." Keith smiled warmly at his friend. "This goofball just thinks I'm more bullet proof than I actually am. Observe."

Keith stepped back and pulled up his hoodie and the shirt under it, exposing a small, circular wound on his side, just under his ribcage. The guy's whole body looked like he'd been through a meat grinder, but the wound in question was new. He dropped his shirt back down, serious expression on his face.

"Not bulletproof."

"Where's you get that, buddy?" Ellis asked, concerned.

"Remember when the whole outbreak happened? Well, I got on one of the helicopters with a messload of other people. We thought we were going to the military base, but the helicopter stopped when some of us were sick. Drug me and everyone else I was with outside and started shooting. El, all of our friends are dead, or families too. Dave, my parents, everyone is gone but me cause I ran."

"I'm sorry about your family." Rochelle offered, earning her a polite nod from the redhead.

"I lost all mine, too." Coach said.

"My mom?" Ellis begged.

Keith shook his head. "I'm sorry, brother. Just me."

Ellis' expression sunk, and his friend pulled him into yet another long overdue embrace.

"I really am sorry. I would have saved them if I coulda. I mean, I didn't have a gun and people were runnin all over the place, but when I went back, everyone was dead."

"There wasn't nothin you coulda done. They had guns and you didn't. Just glad somebody made it." Ellis assured, not sounding anything other than sad.

"They have a real nice grief counseling group I been going to here. I feel so guilty."

* * *

><p>The group spent almost an hour catching up with Ellis' friend that was actually a real person. He seemed wonderful, almost like another Ellis. The two were peas in a pod and they seemed to bring out the charm in one another. Rochelle and Coach welcomed him warmly into their circle. And Nick...Nick was just Nick.<p>

He wasn't an idiot. He couldn't push away the fact that the two had been friends since early childhood. He knew that, and as being the guy that had only known Ellis for a couple of months, he had no right to be jealous. But he was. Especially when Ellis didn't introduce Nick as what he actually was, Ellis' boyfriend. Yeah, they didn't really tell people about being together, but when it came to friends, Nick would have thought it would be different.

Keith seemed nice enough, and was just as irritating as Ellis was, but he wasn't like Ellis. Ellis was just a sweet southern dork. This guy was weird. He talked funny, had a nervous twitch, and he looked like a drug addict. It was now no wonder why Ellis wasn't disgusted with Nick's disfigured leg, he'd had practice, practice _touching_ this freak.

Keith also took the time to introduce two others he grouped up with before being rescued. One was a girl no older than 18. She was petite and blond and only made intermittent eye contact at best. She had deep, glassy eyes and made noises that she couldn't seem to help. She kept her head covered with a striped wool hat and her hands were usually in her pockets. Keith introduced her as Sid and claimed that she was a 'real sweet girl' as long as nobody touched her.

The other was a man likely to be about Nick's age. He was also thin but had a bit of a hard beer belly. He had a long, scraggly goatee and wore a black hat similar to Sid's over his hair. His eyes were dark and his pupils were blown wide.

"Hey, I'm John." He offered.

"These two helped keep me alive after I got shot." Keith added.

After talking with them, it was established that John worked in a distillery before the infection and Sid had a part-time job at a bakery. Both were unmarried and had no children. John had cousins and brothers and sisters. He had no idea if any of them were alive at this point. Sid had no family and had lived in a group home for most of her life. As a group, Keith and his two friends were a jittery bunch of pleasant weirdos, but of course that didn't stem Ellis and his naturally friendly demeanor. He talked to the lot of them just like he would talk to anyone. Correction, he talked to John and Sid like he would talk to anyone else. He talked to Keith like he was Bike Riding Jesus of Nazareth and it got into Nick's head right away.

He put it out of his mind, but in the coming days, the two friends were spending more time together. They were actually assigned the same job together, working on the military vehicles in Garage 4. It was just beyond the sidewalk and the big door was always open, leaving the workers in clear view of the public at most times. Nick was not the kind of guy to make an effort at spying. Usually he was not jealous enough to give a shit, but this grated in his mind until he'd make an excuse to go out and see Ellis at work on occasion. He was always able to go get coffee across the street (because that store accepted tabs) and then just walk by and say "Hey Goober" before leaving.

Sometimes he would walk by and say nothing, just paying a passing glance in toward his partner and his best friend. It was far from unusual for Keith to be touching Ellis in some way. The two would playfully punch one another in the arm, or Keith would come up behind Ellis so that they could both look under the hood of a car and they would either be hip to hip or overlapping slightly. Even passing by one another was accompanied by unnecessary touching and honestly it didn't make Nick _angry_, not really. This was a new feeling, concern. Maybe worry? Probably jealousy. Ellis hadn't even told his friend about the two of them being together. He wanted to ask Ellis about it, maybe talking about what he was thinking or being assured that he had nothing to worry about would ease his mind. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to do it. Instead he would stew at home, waiting for assessment to give him some kind of job to occupy his time.

* * *

><p>"Goddamn it, Ellis" tally thus far: 13<p> 


	10. Chapter 10

Time frame: After being rescued

Rating: M for language, m/m sex

Established relationships: Nellis, mentions of Frochelle

Description: Nick and an epic battle of the feels. Events take place in which the secret of their relationship is blown open to someone that didn't know.

* * *

><p>*Note: Passages in <em>italics<em> and not in quotations are thoughts.

* * *

><p>"Jesus Christ, go shower right now. Don't even fucking touch me until you stop smelling like tires. Goddamn it, Ellis." Nick complained as soon as Ellis came in through the front door from a long day at work.<p>

Nick was under a lot of pressure, still having failed to be assigned to any manner of work. Not to mention, Ellis was always coming home from work in a great mood and it grated on Nick's last nerve. There was nothing more irritating than dealing with a happy person when stress was looming overhead.

He heaved a heavy sigh when the southerner went down the hallway into the bathroom.

"Okay, let's take it easy, now. Pull yourself together, Nick" he said to himself when he was sure Ellis couldn't hear him.

"You're not a jealous guy. You don't give a shit and you don't have shit to worry about."

But did he? He wasn't sure anymore. He always felt like he had nothing to worry about when he came to his ex-wife, and both of them were cheating on him.

_But part of that was on me for being such a dick all the time. What did I expect?_

What did he expect now? Did he drive a wedge into his past marriages and practically push his exes into cheating on account of his cold, self-serving personality? Was that what he was doing now, pushing Ellis away because he was too consumed with not needing anybody to simply hold on?

_Ellis is not cheating on me. I give him everything he wants and why the fuck __**would**__ he mess around on me with that guy?_

In Nick's eyes there was no contest between himself and the other southerner his boyfriend was spending so much time with. Nick was charming, Keith was a dork. Nick was good-looking, Keith was more...rugged.

_Did Ellis like rugged guys? Did Ellis like other guys at all?_ As far as Nick remembered, he was Ellis' first guy.

_But he did say that Keith kissed him that one time. Was that a thing?_ Ellis said they were drunk and nothing else happened.

Right? _I don't know, and I don't care. Fuck him if he's cheating on me._

"Fuck..." Nick groaned.

_I gotta get this out of my head._

"Nick?"

He snapped out of his thoughts, eyes meeting his housemate and lover, standing at the base of the hall and kitchen in his underwear.

"Yeah?" He answered, leaning back against the countertop.

"You been standin in the kitchen this whole time? You okay?" Ellis asked, stepping forward and placing a hand on the older man's forehead.

"I'm fine. I was just thinking." Nick answered, pulling Ellis' hand away from checking him for a fever. Instead of letting go, he linked Ellis' fingers with his and squeezed gently.

"Bout what?" the mechanic asked, wrapping his free arm around Nick's waist. The gambler softened almost instantly, resting his forehead against Ellis' and meeting curious eyes with his own.

"How was work?" Nick had no idea how to get to where he was going in this conversation without starting a fight.

"Fine. Well, Keith damn-near burnt up a manual we needed because he sat a lit cigarette on top of it. Ended up destroying the English instructions so I had to do all the work while he read me the French instructions." Ellis was calm, completely calm. Not a hint of guilt or fear laced his voice.

"That guy can read French?"

"Yeah, speaks it pretty well, too." Ellis answered, "he was learnin it when we were kids, took a blow in the head when he tried to jump the dog on his skateboard and when he woke up-"

"Ellis." Nick stopped him from another crazy story.

* * *

><p>They made love that night, the same as almost every night they'd officially been together. Nick could only remember twice having gone to bed recently without first having an orgasm and both times were due to him having a migraine. This time, though the actions were the same, something felt different. It wasn't a bad different, just an overwhelming different. Rather than the normal heat of pleasure coursing through Nick's body, something else was making itself to the front of his mind. There was a presence that had been hiding out for weeks, ignored by the gambler.<p>

It was a tightness in his stomach, a flutter in his heartbeat, a warm sensation that tingled every time Ellis touched him. It was longing and need every time he touched Ellis. It was the desire to see pleasure in the younger man's expressions as Nick thrusted on top of him. It was the way his name sounded when moaned from plush lips. It was the way Nick didn't let go of Ellis even after they were finished.

He stayed awake that night long after the southerner fell asleep in his arms. Nick was relaxed and satisfied but didn't feel like sleep would come. He watched the younger man, feeling the slow rhythm of his breathing. His nose would crunch up momentarily when he was dreaming and his mouth would pull closed when he half-consciously realized he was snoring. Goddamn, he was a sight. He was more than a sight. He was quite a man, and Nick didn't tell him that often enough.

Nick reflected on their time together, good and bad. He thought about how often they had each other's backs when they were fighting to survive, their first kiss, the first time Nick ever put someone else's needs ahead of his own when it hurt Ellis too much to have sex. He remembered the sadness in those eyes when he told Ellis that he was basically just body he intended to use for his own needs. There were times when they would just shoot the shit and nothing that Nick ever said about his sordid past brought with it any judgment. He thought about the times Ellis expressed such deep feelings toward him and he was met with cold silence. It was only days ago that Ellis got into the shower with Nick wanting only to hold him from behind, plant a kiss to a scar on his left shoulder, and stay pressed into his back until he had to go to work.

"Goddamn it." Nick sighed.

_I'm fucking in love with him._

That was what he'd been afraid of. Nick, the guy that had a gun in his face several times. Nick, the guy that had gone to both rehab and jail. Nick, the guy that showed no fear and no remorse for anything he ever did...was afraid of love. Because loving something makes you weak. Love has the ability to hurt so much and also bring so much happiness and he wasn't sure which it would do. He didn't want to ever fall in love with Ellis at all. He'd spend days worried about losing him to another man and it was out of love and fear. He believed Ellis didn't cheat on him, but for how long could he treat the younger man like shit before all that would change?

* * *

><p>"Mmmkay. Slick as fuck." Nick said to himself after finishing with his hair.<p>

He was examining himself in the mirror, having done the best he could do at finding a new suit. This one was dark on color, but he did manage to find almost the same shade of blue for a shirt. This was considerably less expensive than what he was used to wearing, but it was a means to an end.

"Ya look good." Ellis smiled from the hallway, standing on one leg to tie his boots one at a time, rather than kneeling down on the floor.

"You're goodamn right I do." Nick was in a good mood.

He'd just been given assignment based on his "skills" assessment. He was asked to come in and do some digging on anyone the military had on their list. It was all people that were living in Zone 15, people that the higher ups thought had something to hide. He was allowed to do pretty much anything short of assault to get answers from them, and he was told that his job would mostly be boring, listening to interviewers and looking for the tell-tale hints of lying. He didn't care. He wasn't going to have to have a 'regular' job. That was all that mattered, being allowed to be a dick.

His immediate superior informed him that there were several new rescues that he needed to check out, just to make sure they weren't dangerous criminals or otherwise a threat to the zone's inhabitants. This new measure of security was put in place because the soldiers failed to notice 'rapey Joe' until it was almost too late.

Upon stepping into the holding area that all new rescues were unloaded into if they weren't injured, one of the soldier's waved him over. This soldier was the man he reported to. This was the same soldier that shot rapey Joe in the face and asked Nick to tell the others that the now-dead victim came at him with a knife. Nick agreed, and that was how he got the assignment.

He was a much older man, seemed pretty laxed and had a heavy accent, possibly Kentucky. He introduced himself as Foghorn something or other, some military title Nick didn't pay attention to. He was especially surprised when he received no reaction to, "Your name is Foghorn? Perfect." He didn't seem to mind when Nick called him "Colonel" jokingly. Maybe it was the truth he held over the old man. Maybe it was respect.

"You got three new ones. All split up, first one is in 21." He said.

Nick nodded, wordlessly heading down the hall and turning the door handle to Rm 21. Inside stood a woman. She was young, brunette, and had on a dirty pink hoodie.

"Oh, this is too fuckin rich." Nick laughed, but it was barely a laugh. She looked surprised.

_No it isn't. This sucks ass. I thought I had to worry about Ellis fucking his best friend behind my back, now I have this bitch to look out for._

"Uh, is there some _woman_ out there I can talk to instead?" She snarked.

"Nope. You're shit outta luck. You got me, and you don't get to leave until I clear you. Did the doc already come in to screen you?"

"No, your mug is the first one I've seen." She was clearly annoyed with him. "Did everyone else make it, or did you leave them behind?" Zoey asked.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Nick lied. He knew, and he could have told her that his three companions were just fine, but he liked making people squirm, especially if he didn't like them.

* * *

><p>When Nick returned home with an extra spring in his step, it was flattened out when he came home to Ellis and his best friend hanging out in the living room.<p>

"Hey Nick." Ellis called.

"Hey." Keith nodded politely.

"How was work?"

"You'll never believe who I just interrogated." Nick said, getting himself a beer.

"I probably will. Just tell me." Ellis was not playing along.

"Remember those people we ran into?"

"Yeah. Louis, Francis, and Zoey?" Ellis recalled, proceeding to start filling Keith in on who he was talking about.

"Well, they came in today. New rescues."

"No shit? How are they?" Ellis wondered.

"All alive."

"Damn, Ro's gonna freak out." He added.

_Rochelle? Not Ellis? No mention of Zoey? No reaction to her fucking existence?_

Nick felt his pride swell and his affection for the southerner reach new meaning. Ellis mentioned Rochelle and her little crush on Francis and said nothing about Zoey other than explaining who she was to Keith. In that explanation he didn't drag out the words 'beautiful' or 'angel' once. Instead the entire time he spoke, he was watching Nick. Nick was watching him. Their eyes undressed one another until Keith went home for the evening. No sooner after the door click closed behind him they were on each other. They kissed as Ellis' fingers made short work of the buttons on Nick's shirt, pushing the offending fabric off of his shoulders and letting it fall to the floor. Calloused hands kneaded the smooth flesh of Nick's back while heavenly lips trailed heat over his chest.

The gambler pressed Ellis against the kitchen table, wasting no time pulling his pants down and dropping to his knees to pleasure him. He took the mechanic's thick cock into his mouth for the first time, earning a gutteral groan from above almost instantly. He wasted almost no time adjusting and reading the responses of his lover's body as he attempted to satisfy him. He tried to mimic every good blowjob he'd ever had and reflect this new action and infused it with his natural talents.

"_Nick"_ he moaned, gripping the edge of the table with white knuckles.

It wasn't but a few minutes before the younger man was panting and his legs started to tremble. He was close and Nick was not done with him. He pulled away, stilling Ellis' hips with his hands.

"Not yet." Nick stood again, embracing the warm, sensitive body before him for offering his index and middle fingers to Ellis' mouth.

"Nah, don't stretch me. I want ya to just take me." Ellis panted.

"I don't want to hurt you." Nick started.

"I didn't say to take me dry." Ellis smirked, pulling his leg up enough to reach the cargo pocket on the side of his pants, withdrawing a small tub of petroleum jelly before dropping his leg again.

"You plan this?"

"No. I had some ball-bearings at work that-"

"Goddamn it, Ellis..." Nick kissed him while the younger man worked his pants open, pushing them down to lubricate his erection. His pants bunched at his thighs but they were down enough to freely thrust into Ellis' fist several times before turning his mechanic around and easing him face down into the surface of the table. He pushed his lover's tshirt up, placing gentle kisses to his shoulder blades as he slowly entered the willing body under him. Ellis hissed and once Nick was fully sheathed in him he held still, letting the other adjust to the sensation of being suddenly filled.

"Ready?" He asked after a short time.

Ellis nodded.

Nick pulled out inch by inch before plunging back in, pulling a groan from his lover's lips. He did it again, holding him in place, slowly sliding in and out of him until he loosened enough to enjoy a quicker, harder thrust. He quickened his pace and then slowed it again to penetrate Ellis deeper and with deliberate aim toward his sweet spot, just the way he liked it.

"_Nick"_

His hips snapped hard against the southerner's, just the way he always did when trying to keep a steady pace, though this was anything but steady. It was needy, rushed, and Ellis was tight like a vice. The moans he released were practically begging Nick to finish him quick and the heat radiating between the two of them was becoming unbearable. They were lost in each other, so much that they did not notice the open and close of the front door. Neither noticed the presence in the room as Ellis reached between his legs, desperate to finish at the same time Nick got to. He didn't notice eyes glued onto his body when he arched his back up enough to where he could kiss the gambler on the mouth.

"I'm gonna come..._goddamn it, Ellis..._I'm coming." Nick grunted, driving his thrusts home with enough force that Ellis used his free hand to grip the table so that his hip bones wouldn't bang into it.

"I love you" Ellis whispered as Nick painted his insides, thrusts slowing, moans and grunts turning into panting.

"Ellis, what the fuck?!" came a familiar voice.

Keith.

It felt like he'd been standing there for hours, frozen in place with his jaw slacked open, but in reality he's seen a brief four seconds of this would-be private moment before coming to his senses, shouting and then turning away, not wanting to look anymore. In panic, Keith put his arms over his head, trying to block out the sounds Nick made while getting off on his friend.

"Aww no." Ellis was talking more to himself than anyone else, pulling his pants back up along with Nick.

"Fuck, do you knock, shit-for-brains?" Nick complained.

Ellis' anxiety already peaked. He was pacing about the kitchen, hands aggressively combing at his hair, holding his head, gripping his arms.

"I'm sorry!" Keith called over the din of Ellis panicking.

Nick stepped into Ellis' path, taking him by the shoulders and stilling him.

"It's okay." He started.

"No, I just lost my best friend-"

"Ellis, I forgot my keys!" Keith explained loudly.

"You didn't lose shit. It's okay. You're okay-" Nick continued to keep his voice as calm as could be.

"He just saw-"

"Ellis, it's okay. I'm here, I'm gonna work this out." Nick coaxed.

"Nick, can we go outside a minute?" Keith asked, back still turned.

"Ellis. Look at me." He waited for a response. "I'm gonna go outside. We're just going to talk. I need you to calm down, goddamn it. Stay here. Calm down." Nick instructed, waiting for a nod from his distraught partner before stalking out the front door behind Keith.

He stood there just outside, leaning on the wall and lighting up a cigarette from his pants pocket.

"First, I'm sorry for just walkin in. Back in the day, I used to just walk into Ellis' house all the time. I didn't realize he was...or that you were... We have been best buds since we were kids, and he didn't tell me about this." Keith started to explain, still wild eyed.

"Kid was worried that you'd lose your shit like a dumb hick." Nick answered.

"Well, I kinda did. I mean, seein' my best friend getting back-doored by another man, especially a man like you, it was a bit of a shock."

"A man like me?" Nick's facial expression remained flat, but his voice held a condescending tone.

"Yeah. I have always been a great judge of character and I could see from a mile away that you were full of flaws: selfish, manipulative, downright evil at times. Tell me I'm wrong."

Nick stood in silence.

"I'm not wrong. Ellis has always had a piss-poor way of letting people in that were not gonna treat him right. No offense. It was always girls in the past, and he always failed to see what everyone else could. His ex-girlfriends would tell him everything was fine and he'd just go along with it. It's no wonder though, him being so damn trusting, makes me just want to crack him one upside the head, but it wouldn't do nothin but make him pout." Keith was starting to calm down as he spoke.

"Is there a point in all of this? Jesus Christ, you babble just like he does."

"My point is, Nick, I wanted like hell to not have walked in on that. The part where Ellis told you that he loves you. That makes this real serious."

"Yeah?"

"He doesn't use that word lightly. He _loves_ you. I know him, and he wouldn't let you do what you were doin to him if he didn't think you love him too. I'm sure that to you love is just a means to justify your ends, but I'm partly warning and partly asking you not to let that be the case with Ellis. Don't break his heart, man. He's been through that enough."

Nick was not about to open up, not about to show any kind of sensitivity in front of this man. Hell, he barely showed his softer side to Ellis, and his feelings were nobody's business.

"Yeah, we talked about this...between the copious pitches of sex."

Keith cringed.

"Listen, he's like a brother to me. A defenseless little shit of a brother and I swear to God man, if you hurt him... I don't look like much, but I guarantee you'll wear yourself out on me before you ever do any damage and when you're good and tired, I'll make you wish your momma never shacked up with your daddy in whatever dirty public bathroom you crawled out of in 1956."

"Why does everyone think I'm old?" Nick wondered aloud.

"I don't mean to sound like a dick, really I don't. I have nothing against you as a guy. You seem like you have some decent qualities, but I don't understand what the hell you want with Ellis. Or what he wants with you for that matter. I mean, last time I checked he wasn't lookin to be treated like a girl." Keith was barely filtering as he spoke, becoming elevated again.

"Yeah, because getting fucked in the ass automatically makes him a girl." Nick was playing this as cool as he could. He wasn't angry. This wasn't the worst thing someone has said to him, not even close.

"I don't-"

"What is this? Are we gonna sit here and have a goddamn heart to heart? You sure this little speech comes from concern?" Nick was getting the upperhand back.

"Shit yeah I'm concerned-"

"Concerned that no amount of times you put your fucking hands all over him will make him ever want you?" Nick's eyebrow raised, gauging the other man's response. Shock. Disgust. Fear.

"It aint like that. He's my best friend."

"Ellis said you kissed him." Nick responded slyly.

The other southerner flushed as red as his hair.

"Not recently. We were kids. I was drunk. It was just a one time thing. We didn't even talk about it."

"Yeah, well... he and I, we _do_ talk about the things we do. So how about you go home and think about what you're going to say to keep your best friend tomorrow, because he's the only one that gives a shit about this conversation. I'm tired and I got a panicked redneck to go home to. Thanks." Nick turned and went back inside, returning a moment later.

"And take your fucking keys." Nick tossed the offending pieces of metal to the man that suddenly broke his mood, not caring if he caught them or not. It would have been an amazing catch with his hand deformed like it was.


	11. Chapter 11

Time frame: After rescue

Rating: T/M for language

Established relationships: Nellis, mentions of Frochelle

Description: An exchange of thoughts between Keith and Ellis, feels between Nick and Ellis, and other random shit.

* * *

><p>"<em>Ellis?"<em> His eyes snapped open at the sound of his name.

It was still relatively dark in his room, where he lay curled up against Nick's back. He focused on the room and noted the presence of another man in the room.

"How do, Keith?" He said quietly, voice heavy from sleep.

"Hey buddy." Keith smiled from where he was crouched on the floor.

"How'd ya get in-"

"About that. Sorry I didn't knock. I didn't want to wake Nick up." Keith whispered, keeping his eyes on Ellis' sleeping companion.

"Yeah, he'da been pissed. What time is it?" Ellis asked.

"It's about 6:00 in the am. Come over to my house, will ya? I want to talk things over." Keith offered, "I'll make ya some chicken and waffles."

"You got yourself a deal." Ellis agreed, starting to sit up. "Turn around so I can get some pants on."

Pink flushed over the redhead's cheeks.

"Uhm, I'll wait for you outside, k?"

Ellis slid out of bed once the coast was clear, pulling on his work uniform and leaving Nick a quick note stating where he would be, knowing he'd be confused when he woke up.

_Morning. I went over to Keith's. He wanted to talk about some stuff.  
>Hopefully everything will be okay. I love you, Nick. See you tonight after work.<br>__Ellis_

The two men walked a short distance roughly eight blocks away until they reached a mobile home park that looked untouched by the outbreak. They made small talk throughout their walk and kept their voices down when they entered Keith's house.

Immediately inside was a kitchen, followed by a living room farther back. The blond girl Keith made friends with was curled up asleep in the recliner.

"Don't mind her. She sleeps pretty heavy." Keith assured, ignoring Sid and offering Ellis a seat in the kitchen. His other roommate John was already at the stove and waved Keith over to finish up.

"This hot oil keeps splattering on me." He complained.

"Well, no shit. You got the temp up too high." Keith answered, turning the burner down and using a knife to turn over the frying items in the pan.

Nearly 15 minutes of fumbling later, John retired to the back bedroom with his breakfast and Keith was alone with Ellis in the kitchen, sitting down with him to eat and talk.

"Where'd you get ahold of chicken?" Ellis asked.

"Oh, it aint really chicken."

"Tastes like it, though." Ellis shrugged, taking another bite.

"Hey buddy, I want you to know that what happened last night don't change anything between us. I'm real sorry I reacted how I did." Keith started, breaking the ice once he had a mouthful of waffle down. He had to clutch his fork like a weapon on account of the missing knuckles of two important fingers.

"I wish I woulda just told you. I just thought that you wouldn't want to be friends with me afterward and I just got ya back. I wasn't ready to lose you." Ellis explained, embarrassed already at the mention of last night's mishap.

"Nah, nothing you could do would make me stop bein friends with you. I mean, we have been at each other's backs since we were little. I just was really surprised."

"It's not something I planned." Ellis answered honestly.

"Yeah, things happen when the world goes to shit." Keith agreed. "But I'm actually a little bummed that you'd think something like this would drive a wedge between you and me."

"Well, back when we were kids, you seemed like a real tolerant guy, and then just one day you got real distant. You kept tellin me not to do certain things I always did before cause it was gay. Like when we was young, we'd sleep in the same bed all the time, and out of the blue you were like, _"Ellis, sleep on the couch. I aint gay."_ Ellis was remembering these events, not happy about them.

"Yeah. I admit that. I had my own shit goin on, buddy. I had my own crosses to bear." Keith was avoiding eye contact at this realization of his behavior.

"So of course I didn't think you'd understand me being with another guy." Ellis pointed out.

"I mean, I don't understand really. I support you. I want you to be happy. But I don't know what you're doing with Nick. How well do you really know this guy?" Keith was choosing his words carefully at this point, not wanting to anger his friend.

"We are still workin on that. It's like when you first start datin someone and you are slowly learnin all about them."

"Datin?" Keith asked, disbelief in his voice.

"Uh, yah. Nick and me are together. You know I'm not the kinda guy that sleeps around unless I'm with someone." Ellis cleared up as best he could.

"So, you're in a relationship with him? Like he's your boyfriend _officially_?" Keith was starting to stammer.

"Yeah. I mean we don't really flaunt it to people-"

"Ellis..." Keith started, taking a deep breath. "Look, it aint that he's a man that bothers me."

"Then what is it?" Ellis was defensive over Nick, not allowing any bullshit for a minute.

"I just wanna make sure you aint getting in too deep too fast. I mean does he love you like you love him?"

"Well in his own way-"

"Ellis, has Nick told you that he loves you?" Keith asked point blank.

"No."

"Well shit. Use your head. I mean is this really the guy you wanna commit yourself to? There's lotsa guys around-" Keith started to suggest.

"Do I look like some kinda queer to you? Nick's the only guy I have feelins like this for. I don't know how or why but he's everything I want." Ellis smiled, thinking about Nick.

Keith sighed.

"El, what if this guy aint who he says he is? Do you know anything about the life he had before you? Does Nick have a family? Medical conditions? A criminal history perhaps, cause I'll bet you my remaining thumb he does." Keith was talking faster and faster now.

"Like usual, your ability to pick up on people is right. Nick has been to jail before. I don't know why and I don't know how many times. I don't wanna know." Ellis was sure of himself. He didn't ask Nick about his past crimes because he didn't care what it meant. Deep down under all that misery, he believed Nick was a good guy.

"You don't think you might be part of a grander scheme of things? I mean guys like him, they use people to get what they want. And the guy won't tell ya he loves ya."

"It aint like that. Nick isn't really in touch with his feelings but he aint usin me and I'm not too dumb to see if he were." The younger of the two southerners was trying his best to hold his ground but Keith was right in a sense. Ellis didn't know a whole lot about Nick and Nick still hadn't expressed love toward him.

"Don't be mad. I'm not tryin to start nothin. You're my best friend and I don't want him to hurt you. Trustin the wrong people... it can really mess you up, El. I'm really tryin to look out for you. Please try to see it that way. I love ya, you know we're like family and I just want ya to use your head. Nick doesn't seem like a bad guy, but whether he's the kinda guy that will treat you right, I don't know." Keith kept his voice low, trying to keep the conversation as neutral as possible.

"He coulda left me to die, but he saved my life so many times. I'm only sittin here now cause he was around. He coulda took everything from me, coulda dumped me as soon as we were around women again. But he didn't. So is he using me? No. He's my boyfriend and he aint goin anywhere so you need to keep your thoughts to yourself if you don't want problems with me." Ellis took in another deep breath, now tired.

"He makes me happy, Keith." He said quietly. It was the truest thing he could think to say.

"Well, then that's all that matters. C'mere." Keith stood, pulling his friend to his feet and trapping him in a hug. It was a deep embrace. Ellis could feel his best friend's fingertips on his lower back as scarred arms squeezed about his waist. It was overwhelming, kind and loving. But it didn't stop the ache Ellis felt inside, the truth that stung him and the realization of loving a man he didn't know.

"I love him...with all I am, I love him." Ellis said, tight in the throat.

"Jesus Christ, get a room, buddy." John groaned, coming back into the kitchen to put his plate in the sink. He had a cigarette in his mouth and was shirtless. "You seen my work clothes?"

"Did you try on the floor in my room?" Keith asked, "Ya took a nap in there like you owned the place yesterday."

* * *

><p>He came home from work later and immediately walked into Nick's arms.<p>

"You okay?" Nick asked, following the younger man's prompt and hugging him.

"I just missed you today." Ellis answered honestly.

"Yeah? Did you get everything worked out with Stubbs?" Nick asked.

"I cleared up everything. It's gonna be okay between us." Ellis assured his partner.

"You sure? You look a little upset."

"We had a bit of an argument is all. He just don't understand. He don't know you." The southerner defended the man he loved.

"What'd he say?"

"Just that I didn't know you enough to be in love with you, like about your life before me. He was right about that part but I don't care." Ellis started, trying not to make his boyfriend hate his best friend.

"Goddamn it, Ellis. This is where shit starts to get fucking complicated."

"I know. I'm sorry. It's none of my business-"

"Yes it is." Nick interrupted. "It is your business if you want it to be. It's _nobody_ else's business but because you and me are doing this thing together, you have the right to know."

"You don't have to tell me." Ellis assured, holding onto the older man tight.

"I know. It's my choice. But listen. I will tell you literally anything you want to know about me. But you need to make sure you're 100% fucking sure you want to hear the truth before you ask it because I don't want you to hate me." Nick instructed.

"You sure?" Ellis wasn't sure himself. He had the permission, but he wasn't sure he wanted to know all about the guy Nick really was.

"Yeah. I guess it can be that time again, me opening up to someone. I gotta admit it freaks me out." Nick answered, voice heavy.

"Tell me somethin'. Just whatever you choose to tell me first." Ellis coaxed, wanting Nick to be comfortable with what he was sharing.

Nick sucked in a deep breath.

"My real name is actually Nick. I didn't make that up or any of the stuff I told you already. I have been divorced twice. I have no kids, and both of my parents are dead. I was one of five kids and I didn't go to college. I've been arrested six times, and two of them resulted in jail time. Both were felonies. I was in a prison for one stint and county jail for another. I got a reduced sentence in county because I agreed to go to rehab for drug and alcohol abuse. I've done bad things and had bad things done to me. I can't tell you how many times I could have died. I survived the green flu outbreak, and I'm living in this damn zone with nothing much to show for my life, except for my first boyfriend at age 36. His name is Ellis and I love him." Nick finished, heaving out the last heavy breath he'd used to speak.

"What?" Ellis asked, pulling back and looking into the eyes of the man he'd been hugging.

"See? Told you that you didn't want to goddamn know about me." Nick was quickly becoming anxious.

"No, the last part. You said you love me." Ellis smiled.

"Nah, no I didn't. Did I?" Nick gave him a playful shove.

"You did. You said you love me. Do ya really?" Ellis was hanging on the older man's every word.

"Yeah, I love you, Ellis." Nick said quietly, placing a kiss on the younger man's temple. "Now don't go shout it from the rooftops, either, or you'll make me look soft, you little shit."

Ellis' arms tightened around Nick's waist and he buried his face into his partner's neck, the smell of his body wash providing comfort.

"Ellis, goddamn it. You're not gonna cry, are you? Cause if you're about to cry I'm going the fuck outside." Nick warned, hating to deal with tears.

"I aint. It just means a lot that you'd say it."

"Yeah, you grow on me...like a fungus." Nick laughed. "Plus, I felt like if I didn't just come out and say it then I'd be on my way to losing you to your friend."

"Keith? Nah, it aint like that with him." Ellis scoffed.

"Psh, please. His eyes pull your clothes off every time he looks at you." Nick said blatantly.

"No way, you're crazy."

"Sure I am." Nick closed, letting the subject go.

He was a man that noticed things, details as well as the big picture and the way Keith looked at Ellis seemed a lot more than friendly. He wanted Ellis. And just because Nick trusted his partner didn't mean that he trusted the rest of the world. It didn't mean his threat was over. He had to be more careful about the way he treated Ellis because the kid had options.

Nick couldn't see himself ever becoming a romancer like the swarthy Spanish guys in his grandma's romance novels. He was not that kind of guy and he'd venture that it would freak Ellis out just as much. Their outward relationship would probably stay the same. They'd continue to treat each other as bros, continue to sass each other back and forth, and to the outside world they would just be two guys that lived together, maybe even two guys that lived together and had sex. But when it came to the moments they had to themselves, Nick told himself that he needed to put his macho bullshit aside and make sure Ellis felt wanted.

* * *

><p>"Let me in, Nick. There's some shady-lookin people out here." Rochelle's voice called from the other side of the front door.<p>

"Thank the fucking cowboys from Hell." Nick made his way across the living room and opened the door, letting his former survival companion inside, locking the door behind her. She wasn't kidding, there were some neckbeard-having dudes talking to each other about MMA outside.

"I picked up your aspirin like you asked." She reminded, passing her friend a jug of pills.

"Rochelle, have I ever told you that you're a wonderful human being and I love you?" Nick patted her back, and then popped open the lid on the Bayer and took two.

"No, but I'll take that as a thank you."

"Oh, it is. I have the worst fucking headache. It's these two idiots everyday lately. I don't know what they're doing in the kitchen but it's so loud and goddamn I can't block it out." the gambler explained, motioning to the mess in the kitchen and the two rednecks positioning containers on the countertop.

"Hey Ro." Ellis called.

"What the hell is going on in there?" she asked.

"We're makin beer." Keith answered.

"It looks like a goddamn meth lab...a real shitty one." Nick noted. "You're not leaving all this shit out. It's making the whole fucking place look like the worst part of Newark."

"C'mon baby, don't be like that." Ellis soothed, standing up and pulling the older man into a hug.

"No, get off me. Unless this is making me some goddamn profits, it's getting thrown out by the end of the night. Goddamn it, Ellis." Nick shooed him away, turning to Rochelle. "You see what I have to live with?"

"I'd have tanned both of their hides by now." She agreed.

"Ro, you been smilin real wide every time I seen you lately. How's things? You and Francis been hanging out?" Ellis asked, ignoring Keith's struggle with some hoses to speak to her.

"Yeah, we're trying things out. No rush. But it's going good." Rochelle smirked.

"Ya get to second base?" Ellis winked.

"A lady doesn't kiss and tell."

"Ha! Might explain why you don't tell me shit about your happily ever after, El." Keith laughed.

"You're a funny sumbitch, you know that?" Ellis replied, giving his friend a playful punch.

"_Second base?_ What are you, twelve?" Nick complained. "Ro, come on. Are you getting any?"

"I'm not telling, Nick. Plus if I was going to, you'd be the last I would tell. You're such a miserable turd."

"I have a reason. Look at them. I swear to god I have 99 goddamn problems and Ellis is easily a quarter of them. Mix the two of them and I have half of my problems right there." Nick pressed on his temple, trying to drive away some of the throbbing that had been present all day.

He was dealing with his jealousy really well on the outside, but he was sure that his blood pressure was paying for it. He'd had headaches a lot in the past and didn't have any way of coping with his stress other than heavy drinking, which bothered his boyfriend. Last time he drank, he was so intoxicated that the two southerners had to crutch him home.

Honestly he didn't have a problem with the two of them spending time together. He didn't have a problem with Keith. He was honestly easier to deal with than Ellis, much quieter when he was alone. The two of them together were like a hurricane, though. It was usually Ellis and his shitty ideas that were behind Keith maiming himself. He could deal with them. As long as he wasn't picking up on lingering hands or inappropriate affection, he felt that he probably didn't have anything to bitch about.

Even if he did, he wasn't going to act like it bothered him. That was something his first wife used to do. If he was talking to a woman, his wife would get jealous and throw herself all over him in front of the woman he was talking to. It was pathetic and embarrassing.

* * *

><p>"Nick?" Ellis asked, snuggling closer to the gambler as they laid on the couch together watching old sitcoms on the TV.<p>

"What?"

"Do you ever think about Heaven?" Ellis wondered.

"What do you mean? Like do I believe in it?"

"Yeah, that and do you think if there is one, guys like you and me will get to go? Or do ya think those angry religious people on TV might be right about us burning in Hell?" His voice sounded afraid.

"I guess I never paid it any thought. I don't really see it as a logical concept, Heaven. And let's just put it this way, if there is a God and all that, me fucking another man is not going to be the tie breaker that prevents me from salvation." Nick reasoned.

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Plus, there's no way no Eye in the Sky is gonna tell me I was better off with my ex-wife than you just because she was a woman." Nick scoffed.

"You don't talk about her much. What was she like?"

"The first wife...I married her when I was 21. You ever see the movie _Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?_" Nick asked, beginning one of his journeys he would take Ellis on into the past.

"Yeah."

"Well, you know Everett's wife?" He waited for a nod, "Well, imagine a loud ass bitch version of her. Add expensive tastes and a push up bra and that was my first wife."

"Really? She sounds kinda mean."

"Hey, I was no walk in the park. But at least, at the very least I kept my dick in my pants while I was with her. But then, she decides she's gonna bitch me out over how I made money. It didn't stop her from spending it, but suddenly she had a problem with the source because she felt guilty lying to her family about me and my "not-insurance-salesman job." Nick continued.

"What happened with her? You told me about the other woman, but what ended it with the first one?" Ellis asked. He always listened so intently to anything Nick said.

"She divorced me when I went to prison. We were married for two years. I mean, I can't blame her. I was sentenced to 8 years in the penn. I couldn't expect her to wait for me. I was only ever mad when I found out she was with another guy 6 months before-"

"Wait, you did 8 years in prison?" Ellis asked, trying to do the math.

"No, that was just the original sentence. I got an appeal and my sentence was dropped from attempted murder to aggravated assault. I only did 2 years."

"Still, two years is a lot. What'd you do to keep from going nuts?"

"Spent my time getting buff as fuck. I was in good shape when I was young, believe it or not." Nick smiled, remembering how sexy he used to look.

"You're still in pretty good shape. Is prison like people say it is?"

"Yeah. Yeah, it is. Not easy at all. My first week there I didn't sleep. Luckily some older guys gave me protection. Seriously, shiv your first skinhead and people quit giving you shit so much."

"Nick, you ever kill anybody? Like besides infected?" Ellis regretted asking the second he did.

"Why, kid? Why is that the next logical thing to ask me? Tell ya what, go to sleep, then in the morning give this question some thought, and if you still want to know in the morning, I'll tell you. K?"

"Okay, but...even if you did, I love you."

* * *

><p><em>**Note: Wow, getting close to 300 views. That's a pretty big deal. Also, I accept chapterdrabble prompts, so if any of you have ideas regarding what you want to see in future chapters, shoot me a PM or review._


	12. Chapter 12: 99 Problems

_"I swear to god I have 99 goddamn problems and Ellis is easily a quarter of them. Mix the two of them and I have half of my problems right there."_

Nick's Problems: All 99 of them

(*Note: This seemed like a fun venture to go on, and I was bored the other day, so here we have 99 problems. Formatting didn't agree with my numbering, but I assure you there is 99. I counted.)

* * *

><p>If I don't put some highly greasy substance in my hair everyday, I have an afro.<p>

I vacuumed up a rat the other day. The rat died, literally blew up all over the rug and ruined the vacuum. The smell was horrible and rat guts do not come out of a rug. I didn't know that before but I know it now.

I don't cry for any reason and as a result my eyes are dry literally all the time.

One time, I accidentally called my sister 'baby' when I got off the phone with her. Next time I saw her, she said she was concerned about me and handed me a brochure for a center for sexual deviants.

When I was in my early 20s, I went through a phase of calling everyone 'bitch' all the time. Long story short, I pissed off a Triad and instead of killing me, like four of his buddies knocked me unconscious and I woke up with the a good sized tattoo of the Chinese symbol for 'bitch' on my shoulder blade. Still have it.

I'm white and I can't jump or dance.

Ellis

Ellis

Ellis is my problem.

I'm not _from_ fucking New Jersey. I swear to god, spend more than one sunset in that place (I spent 2 years) and you're automatically from there. I'm from fucking Boston.

I don't give a shit about baseball so no one in Boston talks to me.

Ellis! Goddamn it, he can't count to 15 without saying 14 twice and doesn't understand why I'm saying that he technically counted to 16.

I can't say the word 'pasta' like a non-Italian.

My middle name is Andrea. It's not a girl's name in my family's culture but that doesn't stop people from laughing til I shoot a hole in their foot.

I have horrifically violent nightmares. I will literally scream myself awake.

I will lose it completely if a dog licks itself and then licks me.

I have a missing tooth that bugs the shit out of me. My dad punched one of my back molars out because I called my sister Marie a fuck up.

I got charged with attempted murder over a misunderstanding. This meth addict tried to mug me, so I beat the shit out of him. He wasn't responding so I thought he was dead and I tried to disappear him into the trunk of my car. Turns out he wasn't dead. He just had a seizure and went limp. His dad was a cop. He's one of the reasons why I can't legally own a gun.

I can't help but count cards after doing it so much.

I have this half-moon scar right by my junk from where my ex-wife got pissed and bit me. It itches literally all the time.

I almost dislocated Ellis' elbow the other day because he tried to touch me with his dirty sock. He still jumps when I get near him.

Nobody pronounces my last name right.

I have a fucking Nickleback song stuck in my head.

I like the taste of banana but I can't find a way to eat it without looking gay or throwing up.

I know this is a girl thing, but I hate the feeling of my thighs touching.

Ellis, he doesn't know what gluten is. He thinks I made it up.

If on the rare occasion I get excited about anything, I talk really fast and people think I'm rapping.

Ellis, his habit of taking pictures of me while I'm knocked out on Benadryl needs to stop.

Speaking of Benadryl, I have horrible spring, summer, and fall allergies.

In winter, I don't have allergies, but I catch a cold easy as pie.

Puerto Rico. That's my problem and that place will fuck you up.

One time Keith introduced me to some people as "Nick aka My Anaconda don't want none unless you're another guy's ass." I was in the doghouse for slamming his remaining thumb in the door.

Listening to violin music used to help me sleep and now I sleep like shit.

I hate Fritos, but I'm in the mood for chips and those are the only kind we have in the house.

Ellis.

I have to wash my sheets at least once a week just to feel clean.

I still have healing wounds from how hard I scrubbed myself after getting out of that sewer.

I miss having a phone. Cell towers are still down so I just have an expensive paperweight at home.

All of my fingernails have to be cut down to the quick. I wash my hands constantly and having anything under my nails feels disgusting.

Keith is over at my house right now. He and Ellis are both drunk and have discovered twerking. They have been jerking their asses in my face almost all day and my boner is confused.

I hate the toothpaste in the bathroom, but there isn't any left of the kind I usually brush with in the entire state.

I can't enjoy a zombie movie anymore without thinking, "That's not what happened."

I get indigestion entirely to easily.

I have a universal blood type but I hate needles.

I have a headache.

I am romantically involved with a monster. Ellis doesn't understand why Bambi is 'supposedly' so sad. His mom got shot in the GODDAMN FACE, ELLIS!

Rochelle thinks I don't respect women.

I took an elbow to the gut because I called Rochelle a 'broad'.

I still have parking tickets that I didn't pay off before the outbreak. The late fees are going to be insane.

Every year someone makes the mistake of telling me to have a Happy Hanukkah around December. I'm not Jewish.

I can't stop swearing, even if I tried. It just comes out as a part of my normal speech pattern.

Even now that the outbreak is over, I can't take headache medication without announcing 'grabbin pills' first.

Ellis does so many stupid things and sometimes I can't help but laugh. When I laugh, it encourages him.

Ellis won't agree with me on how many times I have saved his ass. My tally is 31. His is only 12.

I visited a farm when I was a kid and I hated the sound that the pigs made so much that it still haunts my dreams.

The next door neighbors share a vent with us so our living room reeks of weed.

Apparently I talk in my sleep, a lot.

Moonshine tastes like ass and it's the only hard alcohol available anymore.

This generation is making me hate music.

I spent my elective period in high school outside smoking, and as such I never learned how to play an instrument.

I miss the value of having money.

I miss wine, the good kind. Not the friggin $12 shit that Ellis tried to poison me with when we were out surviving.

I miss my gun.

Ellis

Ellis

The fact that I could just yell, "Goddamn it, Ellis" at any given time and he will without a doubt be doing something to deserve it.

I haven't played a video game since Playstation 1 was a thing.

I'm bored and playing chess with myself. The king piece looks like a big wang and I can't stop laughing at it.

Just because I'm spewing obscenities all over the place does not mean I'm angry.

I put my hands in my pockets to avoid being too animated when I talk.

I actually really like Downton Abbey but I have no one to watch it with because everyone I know is an uncultured pig.

I'm moderately hungry.

Still got that Nickleback song clanging around in my brain.

When I tell people not to ask me how I know something, they always ask me how I know something.

If I don't manscape every couple of days, I feel like a nasty ass rug.

Every time I take a shower, the hot water runs out before I'm done.

Ellis doesn't have a grasp on how to talk dirty during sex. He always ends up saying things that are cute and romantic and I laugh instead of getting turned on.

You know what else doesn't come out of white? Rectal blood, that's what.

My birthday passed a week ago and nobody noticed. I mean how were they supposed to know? But shit, a handful of money would have been nice.

I used to have anxiety in church on account of that weird ass chanting and standing and sitting shit that Catholics do. I still cringe when someone says 'peace be with you'.

I pulled a muscle in my hip- didn't BREAK my hip, Ellis- when I damn near fell on my head in the shower because some fucknut decided to let the shampoo bottle spill everywhere and didn't clean up the mess.

I had a burger with Coach the other day and I have no idea what it was made out of but here's a hint, it wasn't beef.

Hummus is pretty popular around here after the outbreak. Hummus gives me the shits.

Ellis left the bathroom window open and bird flew in and shit everywhere. It's still here, screeching and flying around and these two drunk assholes are trying to shoo it back outside with brooms. They've both been pecked/bit to the point of bleeding and now I have bird shit and human blood to clean up.

I can't believe I have this many problems.

I'm really confused about this apartment. When we moved in, there was a fireplace poker collection against the wall. This place doesn't have a fireplace.

There's noise inside the walls at night. I don't know what it is, but it sure as shit isn't ghosts, Ellis.

It's not my fault that Zoey girl is such a bitch, and if I hear 'you started it' one more time I am going to go medieval on everyone's asses.

The people that live on the floor below me have been crying loudly for an hour. None of my business, but I want them to shut up.

The goddamn bird is still here and managed to outsmart Keith and Ellis by getting them to slam into each other trying to chase it from opposite directions. Both have a bloody nose and probably a concussion.

I have elected to handle the bird situation before the military police show up and question me about how two dumbass rednecks managed to kill each other.

I'm not 100% but I think I'm getting an ingrown toenail.

I had such a bad migraine that I threw up the other day, and my puke was a pinkish color. Ulcers. Fun.

Not a single pair of my socks match as of yesterday.

I need something to chew but its raining and I don't want to go out to get more gum.

There's this _thing_ that Ellis does to me and recently there was an incident. Long story short, he made me squeak like a girl and I haven't been able to live it down.

I look like Satan if I try to grow a goatee.

The toilet paper in this place still have bits of wood embedded in it. Like using sandpaper.

I'm gonna close with: ELLIS is my main problem.


	13. Chapter 13

Time frame: After rescue

Rating: M for language and hints of sex

Established relationships: Nellis, mentions of Frochelle

Description: Visits to the Zone 15 clinic

(*Note: Pardon all the damn scene jumps. This chapter was all over the place)

* * *

><p>"Pick up the pace, buddy. You're draggin ass." Keith complained while the two were at work, cleaning up on a slow day.<p>

"Sorry." Ellis replied but didn't quicken his pace at all.

"You need to tell that man of yours to take it easy."

"It aint that. Me and Nick haven't... been intimate in a couple days, on account of me not feelin so hot lately." Ellis answered, not letting on that he was a little disturbed at his best friend openly discussing the sexual nature of his relationship with Nick.

"How do ya mean?" The redhead asked, concerned.

"Just a bug or somethin. My muscles are sore and I feel hot and tired. Throat is a little scratchy, my eyes are watery. Sucks."

Keith propped his broom up against the wall and approached his friend, placing the palm of his hand over the other man's forehead. He paused for a moment before trailing the same hand down to the side of his neck and paused again before going a few inches down the front of his shirt, pressing just under Ellis' right collarbone.

"You got a pretty hefty fever, man. You need to take your ass to the clinic. I'll finish up here."

"Nah, Keith. I'm fine, I been like this for three days. I think I can handle it a bit longer." Ellis argued.

"El, you're goin if I have to knock you out and drag your sorry carcass all the way there. You're sick and you shoulda gone to get checked out when this started."

"You sound like my mom." The younger of the two fussed.

"You're damn right I do and at least someone do. Scuse me for givin a shit, but I do and you're goin. And I'm gonna go with ya to make sure you don't wuss out."

* * *

><p>The two men sat in one of the back examination offices, waiting. This wasn't like the days before zombies, when people could spend up to an hour in the back office and two hours in the waiting room. Ellis told the check-in his symptoms and they got him right in. He and Keith were only in the back for 15 minutes before the door opened and a woman in pale green scrubs entered.<p>

"Ellis?" She asked, surprised.

"Hey Zoey." Ellis replied excitedly, waving goofily even though she was 10 feet away.

"Hey. Good to see a familiar face. Did your whole group make it? I saw that one guy earlier." Zoey seemed to be in a good mood.

"Yeah, we all made it. It was a close one for Nick, but we all got pretty lucky. How's your group?"

"Good, real good. Francis and that Rochelle girl have been hanging out, which leaves me with Louis but that's fine. We always got along pretty well." She smiled.

"I didn't know you were a doctor. You're young to be that educated."

"I'm not a doctor. Please, I'm not even a med student. I just recently got my CNA. I was doing medical classes before the world fell apart and I guess this zone just took what they could get." She replied, pulling on some latex gloves.

"Now, let's get to it. Whoa, you look like Hell, buddy." She noted, stepping toward Keith.

"Oh, I'm not sick. I look like this all the time. The appointment is for Ellis." Keith replied politely, looking embarrassed and discreetly rolling down the sleeves of his coveralls over his heavily scarred arms.

"How embarrassing, sorry." Zoey replied, starting to examine the correct patient.

She asked several questions, mostly about his symptoms and marked things down on a clipboard when he answered.

"There's one more thing. It sounds like you have a standard flu, but Zone 15 requires a blood test with all visits in relation to complaints of illness. The phlebotomist will be in shortly." Zoey added, leaving.

"Hey El," Keith whispered when he was sure that Zoey was down the hallway.

"Yep?"

"Do I really look like Hell?" He asked.

"Like Hell on wheels, maybe. You look fine, buddy. Just fine." Ellis smiled, trying to reassure his friend. He wasn't lying. Even with all the scars, he never thought there was anything wrong with the way his best friend looked.

"You're not just sayin that?"

"No. I'm not one for lyin." Ellis was telling the truth on that, too. He never lied unless it was 100% necessary to avoid hurting another person's reputation or causing further damage.

"Like fine enough to where you'd go out with me if ya weren't with Nick?"

The younger man's eyebrows pushed together at this, puzzled. That was a weird question for Keith to ask. The two of them had been through a lot together, knew each other since they were little ones. They played on the same sports teams, and were as close as a non-sexual relationship could be. As best friends, they'd seen each other naked enough times to where it wasn't shocking anymore. Even when the two got drunk and Keith kissed Ellis, there was never any talk of romance between them.

Nick was the first man he'd ever had romantic longing for, but not wanting to be involved with Keith didn't have anything to do with the way that he looked. They were practically brothers. He tried to put perspective on his thoughts. If the world was flipped and Nick was covered in the same scars Keith had been, it wouldn't have slowed Ellis' love for him.

"Yeah." He answered as simply as he could.

The phlebotomist came in shortly and started tying the rubber around Ellis' bicep.

"Don't flex." The woman in the white lab coat warned.

"Mkay."

"Hold up, I'm gonna go outside and smoke. This room is getting real small." Keith stood, starting to head toward the door.

"In case you haven't read the PSA, that crap is bad for you." The phlebotomist warned.

"Yeah, so is getting shot with a flare gun, getting shot with a pellet gun, getting shot with a real gun, getting shot with an arrow, being stabbed in the back, getting a fishing hook caught in your face, being poisoned with methane gas, getting poisoned by chicken, being exposed to rabies, being tear-gassed, being infected by a parasite, having frostbite, driving off a cliff, flying through a windshield, breaking both legs, getting ran over by a lawn mower, getting hit by a car, having a bus break your foot, knocking your tooth out by trying to fire a gun drunk, catching on fire twice, being kicked by a horse, getting bit by a dog, getting bit my a human, getting bit by a possum, getting bit by a snake, being tortured in the woods, getting a drill bit caught in your ear cartilage, driving your truck into a river, having more head injuries than any living person should-" Keith was using his fingers to count his injuries, running out quickly and starting over on another hand.

"Okay buddy, take it easy, we could be here all day." Ellis said, trying to be soothing as the needle penetrated the inside of his elbow and started to fill a vial with blood.

The rest of the exam was brief, except the time it took to find one of Keith's veins through burn scars when the Zone 15 clinic required a blood test from him as well. Someone back there didn't believe he wasn't currently sick. They were both informed that anyone they lived with would need to report for a blood test as well, and if anything was abnormal, Zone officials would contact them.

The two walked to Ellis and Nick's afterward.

"Hey, where you been?" Nick asked when Ellis came in.

"I had to go to the clinic. I got the flu, so there aint much I can do aside from stupid rest." Ellis was sour about the fact that he was probably not going to go to work tomorrow.

"Well at least they know what it is. If it's just the flu you'll be better in no time." Nick made a perfectly good point.

"I had to take a blood test to make sure that I didn't have anything else. The zone is being extra careful and they want you to take one too." Ellis added, sitting down in the living room.

"Blood test? Nah, no. That's not gonna happen." Nick shrugged it off.

"They'll just come to yer work. Made me do it, on account of lookin like Hell, accordin to the girl doin the exam." Keith insisted.

"You look the same way you look all the time." Nick's eyebrow raised.

"That's what I told her."

"Zoey was our examiner." Ellis noted.

"Oh, well in that case, don't even worry about her, Keith. She's a bitch." Nick smirked a half smirk, the way he always did when he was thinking/doing something evil.

"Be nice." Ellis warned weakly.

* * *

><p>Nick held off as long as he could, trying to avoid even walking down the same street that the clinic was on just in case someone happened to recognize him and let him know that he was due for a blood test. Ellis offered several times to go with him but he openly refused. Not only was Ellis sick and needed to rest, he also did not want to show any kind of weakness in front of his friend and lover.<p>

Two days after Ellis got his test done, a nurse showed up at Nick's job, explaining herself to his boss. She then took him into a back room and told him that they were going to do the examination there for convenience.

He didn't argue when she checked his vitals, but when the vials and rubber tie came out, he started to panic.

"Lady, I have this thing with needles." He explained, starting to sweat, breathing getting a lot faster than what was comfortable.

"A lot of people do, believe it or not. I'll try to make this as pleasant as I can." She was trying her best to be helpful rather than official.

"It isn't the pain I'm worried about. Needles, no matter how sanitary they are, they open a damn hole in the skin, perfect breeding ground for bacteria."

"You don't happen to have OCD do you?" She asked, still prepping him for the needle, tying the rubber around his bicep.

"Yeah. I was diagnosed when I was in...when I was in my early 20s."

"And you don't take any medication for it?" She was trying to keep him talking, "You're gonna feel a pinch, don't look down."

"No, I never did. I didn't think it was all that bad. I mean I was prescribed something and I took a couple, but that shit made me act like a psychopath."

"Whoa." The nurse said, eyeing her vial. "That's full already. You have pretty high blood pressure."

* * *

><p>Later that night, the couple was lying in bed. Nick just finished showering and getting dressed and Ellis took some Tylonol cold pills so that he would be relaxed enough to sleep. He snuggled up close against Nick's side when it was explained that the time the flu was usually spread before the symptoms were ever present.<p>

"Are you worried about your blood test?" Ellis asked, making himself comfortable.

"Why? Do I seem like I am?"

"Well, yeah. I thought it was because of your thing with needles, but that part is over and you're still all edgy like you get." The southerner noticed.

"They said my blood pressure was pretty high." Nick answered, choosing his words carefully.

"You were scared. People tend to have a spike in vitals when they're scared."

"Goddamn it, Ellis. I wasn't scared. I just don't like needles. And the doctor didn't seem to think my blood pressure was because of me being scared. They want me to come back in to have my vitals checked again." Nick explained, pushing strain out of his voice.

"Hopefully it's all good if you calm down."

"Hopefully. There are heart problems in my family. Heart attacks have happened with my immediate relatives. So that is something to worry about." Nick added.

"Really?"

"Really. My dad died of a heart attack when I was younger." Nick recalled, not happy at all with this memory cropping up. He shouldn't have said anything. Ellis was they sort to ask questions.

"I'm sorry, Nick. Did you get to go to the hospital and say goodbye to him?"

"He died in the living room." The older man clarified, eyes becoming glassy as the memory played back in his mind like it had several times before.

"Were you there?"

"Yes. This is gonna be another one of those things you can't go around telling people. But it happened when I was 17. I just came home from school and a lot of the day was a blur. I don't remember what I did, but he was pissed off at me again. We were standing there in the living room and he was yelling like he always did. Suddenly though, he stops yelling. His eyes get real flipped out and he kind of reaches around his back like his shoulder blade hurts and he just went down. He was on the floor trying to tell me to call 911 and he was having a hard time breathing... I didn't call 911. I sat down on the recliner, smoked a cigarette and finished up my episode of Happy Days, I think it was Happy Days. When my dad managed to drag himself over to me and grab onto my pant leg, I pulled away, got up and left. My mom came home from work almost two hours later and found him. The hospital and morgue people said he had a massive heart attack and died *almost* instantly. El, before you think I'm a horrible person, my dad was a really bad man. He put me through Hell so often and since I was only 17, I still would have had one more year with him until I could leave. I chose to cash that year in early."

"I'm not blaming you." Ellis said after what felt like a year. "I mean, I don't know if it's really my place to deem that right or wrong. I don't know if it counts as either. You were just a kid."

"I wanted him to die. I was pretty sure that would happen if I didn't get help. I still didn't escape, though. I mean, all the time my mom would say to me, "You're just like your father" and that was really one of the worst things she could say to me. I couldn't help that she shacked up with him and had five kids with him. I know part of him is in me, and that might be one of the reasons why I never really succeeded in anything except for being a piece of shit. Being married never worked out, and I never had kids for fear that maybe I would somehow become my dad to them." Nick explained.

It was true, he felt nothing on the day his dad died. The whole time he waited, he was a wreck just hoping that nature would take its course. When his dad was finally gone, the relief faded away so fast. Everything felt the same again.

"You're not a piece of shit. When we first met, sure you were a bit of a dick and I thought you were gonna bail as soon as you could. But there was so many times you risked your life to save mine or Ro's or Coach's. I choose to see the good man in you and there isn't a thing anyone can tell me to make me change my mind." Ellis smiled, arms wrapping weakly around Nick's waist.

"I'll hold ya to it."

* * *

><p>Two more days went by and Ellis was back to his chipper self. He'd gone back to work and helped Keith catch up on all of the tasks that got held back in his absence. Nick was avoiding staying at work any later than he needed to and went straight home afterward. It didn't make sense to run from the clinic personnel. They knew where he lived and they seemed to have an infinite supply of rights over citizens. If they wanted him to come back for more testing, he would have to go eventually.<p>

When he arrived home, Ellis was already standing in the kitchen and looking through the fridge for something to munch on.

"Hey El." Nick approached the younger man, took him about the waist and pressed him against the kitchen counter. He took advantage of his partner's surprise by connecting their mouths in a long kiss. It didn't take the mechanic long to regain his bearings and respond, pulling Nick closer.

"I missed this." He whispered as Nick's fingertips slid down the waistband of Ellis' pants.

"Mm hmm, you've needed a good dicking for almost a week now." The gambler sighed, hand pushing all the way into the southerner's underwear, gripping his cock.

"_Nick…wait."_

"Hey El, how the hell do you work your TV remote-aww shit!" Keith walked into the kitchen, quickly averting his gaze to the floor to avoid the further awkwardness of viewing his best friend getting into foreplay with his possibly evil boyfriend.

"Goddamn it." Nick groaned.

"I was gonna tell you we had company." Ellis started to explain.

"You. You need to take your ass around the block for an hour…or you can stay and watch. At this point I don't give a shit." He directed at Keith, giving Ellis' crotch a squeeze to make his point, drawing a gasp from him.

"Wait…" the younger southerner sighed, noticing the way his best friend's eyes widened and his cheeks reddened.

"Sorry, man. I'm gonna- I'm gonna go. I'll see you- see you tomorrow." Keith stammered, heading out the door.

"Bye buddy."


	14. Chapter 14

Time frame: After rescue

Rating: T/M for language, a short piece of sex, mentions of rape, and "substance" use

Established relationships: Nellis, Frochelle

Description: Confessions, medical conditions, and unrequited love (if you squint).

* * *

><p>"It smells funny in here." Ellis noted as he came home from work, sniffing the air and crinkling his nose.<p>

Nick was already home, sprawled out on the couch watching TV. His eyes were glassy and it was likely that he wasn't paying attention completely, probably just gazing at the screen and blocking out the noise.

"How was your day?" Ellis said, plopping down beside Nick, jarring the man from his daydream.

"Had better days, that's for sure." He answered honestly.

He'd been forced to go back to the clinic today for more testing and was not at all happy with his results. He hated doctor's offices. He especially hated being a patient at a doctor's office.

"What's wrong? Got into it with someone at work? You pull someone's hair again?"

"No, kid. It wasn't work. I had to leave work early and go to the doc again. These fuckers are so pushy." He complained.

"What do ya mean? What'd they say?" Ellis placed a hand on Nick's leg, scooting closer. "You're okay, right?"

"It depends on your definition of okay. I'm pissed the fuck off, want to punch something."

"I mean, about your health. Are you okay?" Ellis was growing worried.

"They said I had a heart condition. Some shit I can't pronounce. Before you get scared, don't. It isn't typically deadly, but it can be when it gets mixed up with other things, like ulcers and anxiety...both of which I was diagnosed with in the past."

His explanation didn't help the mechanic feel any more calm. There was something wrong with Nick, something that he couldn't fix. Ellis was no scientist and when something was wrong with a person's heart, that was bad. He leaned in again, pulling the older man into his arms and held tight.

"Relax, El. I'm gonna be fine. They said if I lower my blood pressure, a lot of the risks will go away. I mean, honestly the cure sounds worse than the disease. They told me I need to cut back on my drinking, they want me to quit smoking, and not get stressed out. Since I have an anxiety diagnosis and ulcers that will bleed when I'm stressed, the doc wants me to take these damn heart pills."

"Well you need to take your heart pills, then. I want you to be around for a long time." Ellis insisted.

"I hate this shit. I feel so goddamn old. To top it off, they want me to see a shrink."

"I want you to do whatever they say."

"Goddamn it, Ellis. I'm not a crazy person. Why the hell should I sit in a doctor's office and explain my damn problems to him?" Nick wasn't stressed at this point, but he was annoyed.

"Not only crazy people go to a head doctor. I went when I was a little boy, because my daddy died when I was four and my mom said I didn't take it well and would cry and say I miss him all the time." Ellis assured, loosening his arms from around Nick's waist but not letting go.

"That...was something I didn't know. I'm sorry I said that. I...um, don't remember you telling me you lost your dad." Nick felt like he'd stepped over a line somehow.

"No, I don't talk about him much. I really don't remember a lot about him. This right here is really all I got to remember him by." Ellis explained, shifting his right hip upward and pulling an incredibly worn wallet out of his pocket. It might have been leather at one time. He pulled a picture out of it and showed it to Nick.

Pictured was a man that looked almost identical to Ellis. The photo was obviously old but it had been laminated so it was well preserved. The man in the picture was young, leaning back on a recliner, wearing a white t-shirt and toasting a can of beer toward the camera, goofy smirk on his face.

"He looks just like you." Nick commented.

"Yeah, that's one of the last pictures taken of him. He was home on leave. When he shipped back out, he died four months later in some kinda friendly fire incident."

"Kind of makes me feel like an asshole for bitching about my dad to you." Nick said blankly.

"Nah, I like when you tell me stuff. Makes me feel wanted. What in the name of Jesus is that smell?" Ellis was sniffing intermittently throughout the conversation.

"That would be weed."

"Aww Nick, really?" Ellis sighed.

"I figured it would help chill me out. I don't want to take antipsychotics. No idea what's in that shit." He explained. "I went over to Keith's house to talk to John after the appointment. So far I feel calm as hell. Very slightly snackish, but calm." He explained.

"Well, I guess if that helps you, just open the window." Ellis smiled. "I wanna do anything I can to help you, kay? Like anything you need from me. Please talk to me."

"Easy, tiger. I will. Promise."

"Cause I know a lot of your stress comes from me. I know I drive you crazy." Ellis was starting to feel helpless again.

"In a good way." Nick said, shooshing his partner with a kiss, "And don't worry. I'm not that fragile."

* * *

><p>"Shit, I can't get this damn thing onto the lift." Ellis complained after trying to get a van pulled in straight several times.<p>

"Hold my beer, I'll do it. Jesus." Keith scooted his friend out of the front seat and put the van in first gear.

"You can't drink at work."

"Can too, I asked Cesar." Keith argued, pulling forward onto the lift, making it look easy as pie.

"Cesar? Why didn't you ask Doug?" Doug was their boss. Cesar was just above Keith and Ellis, holding a supervisory position.

"Because Doug went home early. Got that same flu you had. Plus, you need to relax, grandad. It's just one beer. You know I need at least six before I start on my journey." Keith smiled, stepping out of the driver's seat and taking his beer back from his friend.

"Canned beer tastes like pee." Ellis jabbed.

"Well maybe I like pee. You know my tastebuds aint what they used to be. What the hell's the matter with you today?" Keith asked, taking a swig.

Ellis wasn't trying to be short, but he wasn't his usual friendly self. On any other day he would smile and joke and the two of them would screw around when they weren't busy. Just yesterday they were playing Jenga when no one came in for an hour, and today was feeling like the opposite of a Jenga day.

"I'm sorry, man. I'm a little bummed out. Nick told me that his test results at the clinic yesterday said that he had somethin wrong with his heart. Its been weighing pretty heavy. I didn't sleep well last night." He tried to explain.

"Yeah? He was over last night talkin to John for a few. I didn't know nothin about him having anything goin on with his heart. I thought he just wanted a bag of jays for no reason."

"He says its gonna help keep him from getting stressed out." Ellis offered, reasoning that whatever Nick did to stay healthy was okay.

"Well, that oughta help."

"It better. This shit is really driving me nuts. Like what if its real bad?" The younger mechanic was now shifting about on his feet.

"What if it aint? I mean, this stuff happens. He's quite a bit older than you and the more wore out organs get, the quicker they take a shit."

"He's only 36." Ellis defended.

"And you're just about to turn 24. It doesn't seem like a big difference, but a guy his age is goin through some shit you're too young to grasp. The harder you over-work an organ, the quicker it takes a shit. Especially if you lived hard like I'm sure he has." Keith pointed out.

It was true. Nick burned through his 20s with alcohol, failed marriages, crime, prison, drugs, and struggles with keeping himself above water. It was no surprise that his heart wasn't firing right or that his brain was always a mile a minute, or that his stomach lining had holes in it from constantly being on edge. He'd never been a happy guy, even now and misery had a way of breaking a person down.

"According to the doctor, he is gonna be okay if he follows what he's supposed to do and makes some lifestyle changes, but damn. 36 and already in danger of having a heart attack. Don't seem right." Ellis noted.

"Life has a way like that, not bein too fair." The redhead replied, not at all wrong.

"It doesn't have to be, not for him. I mean he has really been through enough and I don't wanna think about him not bein around."

"El...how long do you think this thing is gonna last?" Keith asked, keeping his words very well checked.

"Me and him?"

"Uh huh. I mean, you aren't a moron. I'm around you two a lot and I have never once heard him tell you that he loves you. Even when you say it first he'll just stare at you like yer from another world. I have never seen him hug you or even touch you unless he's wantin sex. I don't see love in his eyes at all when he looks at you. I mean, that's up to you right now but can you for real say that you could spend say...10 years with him like that?"

"Man, you listen up and listen good. I. Love. Nick. I don't give a damn what people think and he don't need to change for me. I don't need to be coddled like a spoiled little kid and if he wanted to, I'd marry that man right this goddamn second. Okay?" Ellis was becoming frustrated and overwhelmed. Nick was such a hard man to defend, to explain. But why did he have to explain him to anyone?

"Hey, I didn't mean..." Keith started, seeing sadness and confusion in his best friend's expression. He approached the man in front of him, pulling him into an embrace, the same way he'd done every time Ellis was sad.

"El, I'm sorry. I just want you to be happy, like all the way happy. With someone that loves ya."

"Nick loves me." He whispered back, tired and unable to make any other point.

* * *

><p>"Hey, what's your deal? You look...tired." Nick said, coming through the kitchen to the front door where Ellis just arrived from work.<p>

The younger man didn't reply. Instead he pulled the man in front of him into a long kiss, breaking when the two ran out of air. The look in his eyes was as simple to read as could be imagined.

Without another word, the two connected again, fumbling their way to the bedroom they shared, discarding clothes in the hallway. They made love just as always, tangled together in a fevered pitch of ecstasy. Ellis was posted on Nick's lap, trembling legs wrapped tight around the older man's waist, hands gripping flexed shoulders as Nick's hands held his hips, guiding thrusts deep into him. They called out each other's names, the sounds ridden out in sighs and moans as Nick tipped over the edge, filling his lover and continuing to stab at his prostate while finishing him by touch.

"Feel better?" Nick asked after several minutes of basking in after glow.

"Yep." Ellis replied, taking Nick's hand into his.

"Good, cause I'm baked and starving to death." Nick asserted, pulling Ellis to his feet and into the shower where they quickly cleaned up and then destroyed the kitchen making nachos to the best of their ability with the ingredients at hand.

"Nah, you keep the cheese. I don't want the diarrhea associated with it." Nick complained, pushing the can of nacho cheese across the countertop.

"You don't eat cheese? How the hell do you plan on eatin nachos with no cheese?"

"I'm lactose intolerant. One mouthful of cheese and I have the BGs for the rest of the day." The gambler ignored the obvious laugh about to break out in Ellis' expression.

"That's pretty damn funny." Ellis giggled.

"Uh huh. Laugh it up you little shit."

* * *

><p>Rochelle dropped in a short time later, paying a quick visit to her survival companions after a busy week in the communications 'tower'. With her degrees in communication and journalism, she was trained to use radio transmission and was given a job monitoring the broadcasts between individual zones. There were 40 of these so Ro was supervising only one channel or two.<p>

"I wanted to get a man's perspective on my clothes. I would ask Coach but the two of you are closer to the age range I'm trying to appeal to. With these damn Red Cross clothes, it gets pretty hard to find something nice to where and it's kind of a special occasion." Ro explained.

"Really? What's that?" Ellis asked, clueless.

"Well, Francis and I have been seeing each other for...a while I guess. I don't even know how long it has been. A month, right? Since they got here? Anyway, things have been slow and relaxed but..."

"Oh." Nick understood right away.

"Oh? What am I missin?" Ellis looked from Nick and back to Rochelle.

"In that case, you look way too damn good for that greasy pig." Nick confirmed. Rochelle did look pretty spectacular, being that she had to search through second hand junk to find what she wanted to wear; a nice gold keyhole shirt and a clingy pair of skinnies.

"Yep, you look pretty damn- wait, I get it. Stuff is gonna happen, huh?" Ellis smirked, feeling smart.

"Hopefully. Hopefully stuff is gonna happen. If I don't break my 7 month dry spell, I'm probably gonna kill somebody." Rochelle smiled, trying to ignore the slight blush in Ellis' cheeks.

"After a month, damn that's practically Mormon. I don't think I've ever gone with anyone and waited a whole month. Shit, I was taking Ellis to Pound Town for over a month _before_ we decided to pursue things." Nick noted in disbelief.

"Jesus..." Ellis groaned, embarrassed.

Even though Rochelle knew about the two of them, one of only three people that knew, Nick discussing their sex life was odd. He didn't even like talking to Keith about it, someone he trusted with everything and had been with through everything in his past.

"Sweetie, I knew you had the biggest crush on him before even you did." Rochelle explained to her young companion, "After you got over the initial shock of meeting Zoey, you started talking to and about Nick just as obsessively."

"I did?"

"Yeah, all the time. You were always looking up to him and you'd walk around with a spring in your step whenever he said something nice about you." Rochelle recalled.

"I thought I was keepin it under wraps pretty well." Ellis replied, confused at how his defenses didn't cloak him.

"Now Nick, he acted like a great big dick all the time, so I didn't suspect a thing."

"That's me. Cool as a goddamn cucumber." Nick smirked.

* * *

><p>The two wound down with a movie at the end of the night. It was one of those overly-shitty action flicks that Ellis seemed to feed into. Nick was always unimpressed, but would at least laugh at how corny all the dialog was.<p>

"What the- who in the hell just stands there when a guy is about to shoot a flaming arrow into your face?" He pointed out, which didn't bother Ellis at all. He liked when Nick would pick apart the flaws he saw in the predictability of people on screen, until...

"Wow, that guy's dead after getting choked out for like five seconds? It takes longer than that to kill a person...otherwise they just pass out and regain consciousness later. Confused but otherwise fine." Nick scoffed at the strangling portrayal on the screen.

"How you know that one?" The southerner asked.

"Um..." Nick froze, "I just know."

_Goddamn it, Ellis. Don't speak. Don't ask me anymore questions. Don't-_

"Nick. How do you know that? Don't lie."

"Let's not do this, kid." Nick encouraged, hoping Ellis would just drop it upon seeing that he wasn't comfortable with this conversation.

"You said you'd tell me the truth whenever I wanted to know. Well, I wanna know now. Did you kill someone before?" Ellis muted the TV, now staring holes into his partner.

_This is it. This is where I make a mistake. I'm gonna trust him. I'm gonna tell him and then he is going to stand up, walk out the front door and never come back."_

"...yes..." Nick answered, voice flat.

"Why? What happened to make you do somethin like that? Please tell me it was self-defense." Ellis knew the answer before he even finished his sentence.

"Do you want me to tell you it was self-defense or do you want me to tell you the truth? The first one was definitely not self-defense-"

"The first one?! Good lord, Nick. How many were there?" Ellis was trying to hide the shock in his voice and it did not mask well.

"Two. There were two."

"You killed two people? At the same time?" Ellis was talking quickly now.

"Calm down, Ellis. No I didn't kill two people at the same time. One was when I was 23. Let me just try to explain to you because you just _had_ to goddamn ask me."

He took a deep breath.

"I was 23, and I don't remember if I ever told you about my sister Marie. She was four years older than me, but she was stuck being 17 forever. Never got her shit together, that one. I mean, usually she was in trouble for petty shit like being drunk in public. But one day I get a call from the hospital wanting me to pick her up. Our parents were both dead by then and I was her next of kin. I lived with Shae only 30 minutes from Marie's apartment.

"So I go to the hospital. Keep in mind I'm thnking that she got into a fight at a bar or something like that. The desk people didn't tell me anything. But I go wait for her and she comes out and she is banged the fuck up. Her face and arms are one big bruise and she's walkin like it hurts to stand. Me and Marie never really got along and we weren't close but seeing her like that made me so angry. I was trying to talk to her the whole ride home and she starts crying. She tells me this guy she was friends with, this fucking asshole she trusted raped her. Marie didn't really have any defense. She was a skinny little hipster chick. She didn't like fighting or weapons.

"I decided fuck him, fuck the cops. I told Marie to keep a friend with her for the next couple of days. I found out from her that the hospital had his DNA, but she gave me his name. I knew who he was, but he didn't know me. It was so easy, El. I lured him into the alley, offering him drugs that I didn't have. When we were back in the dark, I pulled a 6" knife out of my waistband and threatened him just to get him scared and I started stabbing him. He was trying to get away but I got on top of him. I made him look at me when the light went out of his eyes.

"I left him there, took his wallet to make it look like a robbery, ditched the knife, and went to a friend's house to clean up. Then I went home, made sure I had an airtight alabi from an Atlantic City casino owner that owed me a favor. The guy got 16 of his buddies to say that I was attending a gambling event with them. I was only ever questioned about it once and that was that."

He waited, and waited, and waited. Ellis was silent, for maybe the first time ever. His eyes were wide and he sat still as a block of wood.

"Ellis, please say something."

"I can't say what you did was wrong, because I would want to do the same thing if I was in that position. I don't know if I would actually do it, but you did and I can't really hold judgment over you for it. I'm glad you told me, and this don't make me feel different about you. You're still my Nick and you don't scare me. No matter what you tell me, you aint a bad guy. Now, what happened with number 2?"

"There isn't a lot to tell about that. Number two was a guy I strangled with a belt when he broke into my house and went after Carla."

"Carla?"

"Ex-wife number two. It just happened. We were fighting and I got the upperhand, got too ahead of myself and he didn't wake up. End of story." Nick explained, still in shock that these words ever came out of him. He swore he would never trust anybody with this and here he was, spilling his past to Ellis.

"I don't know what to say about all of this. I guess this is one of those things where there aint much to say. But now I know you, the real you and nobody can tell me how blind I am anymore. This is incredibly unsettling but its not something either of us can change. I love ya anyway."

"I can't believe I just told you. I just told you one of the darkest things about me. Nobody but me knew about Rob. I didn't tell a soul and I just told you. Holy shit..." Nick was talking fast, trying to pedal away from the immense trust and intimacy it took to admit everything to Ellis.

"Relax, kay? I won't tell no one, I swear. Not as long as I live." Ellis assured, taking the gambler's hand into his.


	15. Chapter 15

Time frame: After rescue, late august

Rating: M for language and sex

Established relationships: Nellis

Description: Nick is trying to be nice, decides to make Ellis an offer he can't refuse, new pet, garage shenanigans

* * *

><p>Nick's eyes pulled open at the sudden pressure in his lap, looking up to see Ellis straddling his hips, goofy grin on his face like always.<p>

"Mornin." He said.

"What time is it?" The older man groaned.

"Best time of the day, just barely sunrise." Ellis answered.

"Why the hell am I awake at just before sunrise on my day off?"

"Cause, darlin. I wanted to show ya something," Ellis cocked his eyebrow, "somethin cool."

Nick sighed. It was almost impossible to be mad at the southerner, even though Nick would love to have been left to sleep a bit longer.

"What is it?"

Nick's eyes followed the younger man's movements as something was placed into his hand. He held the object out in front of him, examining it.

"A leaf? What the hell is this for?" Nick's eyebrows pinched together, confused as he looked to Ellis for some sort of answer.

"What color is it?" Ellis asked, encouraging the other to participate.

"Uh," Nick eyed the leaf a bit more closely, "yellow...and a bit of brownish."

"It's officially autumn, Nick. That fell outta one of the trees this morning." Ellis was happy as could be about his recent discovery.

"Are you fuckin kidding me?" Nick was not nearly as entertained, "And did you go outside dressed like that?" He motioned toward Ellis's body, clad in his underwear and a t-shirt.

"Yep. I heard a noise." Ellis beamed.

"So, you went out to investigate a noise practically naked? What are you, a girl from a horror movie?"

"I aint a girl-"

"Ya think? That's fucking apparent, being that those underwear you got on don't leave a lot to the imagination." Nick was right. Ellis had on a pair of white boxer briefs, very snug except for around the waist where they were stretched out.

"Well, I coulda gone naked." Ellis smirked, pulling his t-shirt off and tossing it across the room. "Would you like that?"

"You sexy little minx..." Nick sighed, sitting up and flipping the younger man onto his back in one fluid motion. The two wrestled for dominance across the surface of the bed until they ended up rolling onto the floor with a loud _thud_ and Nick once again had the upper hand.

"Your hip okay, old man?" Ellis was a snippy little shit this morning.

"That depends. Is your ass okay?"

"Huh? Yeah, it's fine. I landed on my back." It was the younger man's turn to be confused.

"Remember your answer and we'll see if it matches up with the one you give me in about 20 minutes."

Nick stood in the shower later that morning, eyes closed and body relaxed in the stream of hot water. Ellis' arms wrapped around his waist and his chest pressed into the older man's back. He'd place an intermittent kiss to the gambler's neck or cheek and they stood there in silence, still enjoying the effects of morning sex. Only moments ago, Nick had his young companion's back pressed firmly into the carpet as he pounded into him above. His hands started out bearing down on tanned, muscular thighs as he tried to get the deepest push, but within minutes it changed. His left hand supported the arch of Ellis' back while his right was linked with Ellis' fingers over his head as Nick towered over him. This was their deepest symbol of intimacy, when the mechanic would initiate holding hands. It did nothing by way of sexual pleasure for either of them, and Nick had never once held hands during sex with anyone before Ellis, but he liked it. This barely there expression of love was what made the conman realize he was in love at all. They'd been going at it as per the usual at the dawn of their relationship, and for no reason at all, Ellis reached down and took Nick's hand into his, giving it a squeeze and looking up into confused eyes. Holding hands, this was Nick's _"I love you"_ and Ellis knew it.

Holding Nick's hand was Ellis' wordless warning, depending on the way he held. Gently taking his hand signaled that Nick was being too rough and Ellis wanted more passionate sex. Squeezing his hand indicated that he was close to finishing, a signal he'd given off this time as well as many.

"_Nick" Ellis panted, turning his head into the crook of his elbow._

"_Baby, look at me. I want to see your pretty face when you come for me." Nick begged before dazed eyes met his._

Nick finished, filling his partner's body like he loved to do. Ellis was the first lover he'd had without having ever used a condom. It was initially his rule, considering the amount of women he slept with in the past. He never wanted to be a father, and never knew whether or not he could trust girls to be clean. He would have insisted with Ellis, too, had it not been for the apocalypse making that an unrealistic expectation.

"El?"

"Yep?" The southerner answered, bliss in his voice.

"I wanna say something to you, so listen."

Nick took a deep breath.

"You make me happy, kid. The closest I've ever been to being happy and I don't know what the hell it is about you. You're a goddamn goof and I want to yell at you all the time, but I don't because...goddamn it, Ellis." Nick broke off.

"I know."

"No. I mean, I want to be with you...keep you around for a while. I'm not good at this shit at all. Believe it or not I had someone else write my wedding vows for me. I can't even tell you things, but that doesn't mean that there are no things to tell. You know what I mean?"

"I think so." The southerner's voice was not indicating that he understood.

"I don't want to lose you. I want to do something to show you that you're not...just an option and I don't picture being with a girl when I'm with you. I _want_ to be with you because the way you make me feel... it's just fucking weird. I could _see_ you and me...you know? Doing _things_ later in life?"

"You're not proposin to me, are you?" Ellis asked, bracing himself for that possibility.

Nick laughed.

"What do I look like? I'm a horrible person to be married to, for one. For two, we live in the damn south. I think the _'no dudes marrying dudes'_ law still stands."

"So you're just tryin to say you love me?" Ellis questioned, arms tightening around his boyfriend's waist.

"Yeah that," Nick agreed, "and not just that. I want -don't tell another goddamn soul as long as you live- but I want you to try doing to me what I do to you."

"Beg pardon?"

"I want...you _inside_ of me." Nick looked at the floor of the shower, embarrassed in front of Ellis for the first time.

After an uncomfortable moment of silence, Ellis replied to his request.

"You sure about that? At first, it hurts like a bitch."

Nick didn't need to be reminded of that. He knew it hurt. He remembered their first time, the first time they'd actually completed the deed and he was oblivious to the fact that, while he was feeling pleasure, his partner was trying to tough it through pain even after a not-so-thorough stretching. It only became apparent after he pulled out to discover a thin coat of blood. He felt guilty about it and over time he learned how to read his partner's body, being that the southerner's jabber jaw didn't translate into sex. He'd rather lay there in pain than tell Nick to slow down, rather go without getting off than ask Nick to aim at a different angle. Nick was working on that, pulling Ellis out of his shell.

"I'm sure."

"Well alright, then. But I can't go again for a while and I gotta get ready for work." Ellis started to explain.

"I didn't mean I wanted to go again right now. I couldn't if I tried. You wear me out, goober."

The two dried off and while Ellis was getting dressed, Nick was standing in his underwear in front of the bathroom mirror, turning to the side and standing up straight.

"I am so goddamn fat." He groaned.

"Psh...you got a disorder cause you're sexy as all get-out." Ellis countered in complete disagreement.

Nick smiled. Ellis was right in all honesty. Nick did gain an inch or two around his waist and wasn't as fit as he was in prison, but that was over ten years ago. His form was still hard, not flabby and he still looked like a man that could kick the shit out of somebody. Ellis wouldn't have crossed him if they'd only just met.

The older man padded out to the kitchen, wanting coffee when he stopped in his tracks, eyeing the front door where something was suddenly out of place.

"Ellis?" He called.

"Yep?" The mechanic called back from down the hall.

"Why is there a cat on the rug?"

"I was meanin to tell you. That was the sound I heard when I went outside this mornin. It's a Russian Blue, isn't it cute? Poor critter looks like its starving to death." The younger man seemed so excited.

"I'm not cleaning up after it, so we're clear."

"Nah, I got it. Just keep Leningrad company while I'm gone." Ellis confirmed.

"You named it?"

"Yeah."

"Leningrad?"

"Yeah, it sounded like a Russian thing, and since the cat's breed suggests it, ya know?" Ellis explained, coming back down the hall, dressed and ready to leave.

"It _sounded_ like a Russian _thing_? You have no appreciation for history or world geography for that matter." Nick scoffed.

"Hell, history was never my thing. You obviously got me mistaken with Keith again. Guy's a real American history nut job, walkin Britannica." Ellis explained, pulling on his hat and bending down to pet the cat.

"You're really gonna make me keep track of this thing?"

"It aint a thing, Nick. It's an animal. Didn't you ever have pets as a kid?" Ellis wondered.

He was met with a blank look.

"Man, that sucks. No wonder why you're such a damn grump. I had all sorts of animals when I was little. Dogs, cats, my mom had a horse. Keith's family had pigs and chickens and I had a rabbit once. Keith gave him to me for Easter. Snuck him into my jacket at church. Hoppy-shit went on to live for 8 years-"

"You named your rabbit _Hoppy-shit_?" Nick was trying to sound more annoyed than amused.

"Keith did. He never was good at names. He named one of his dogs _Thing_ and another one _Stick_. See what I mean?"

"Go to work before I fucking knock you out." Nick's threat was idle, they both knew that and he offered the southerner a quick kiss goodbye before he was left in the house with the cat that just continued to stare at him.

"Hey, buddy. Your eyes creep me out. I never did like cats."

The cat continued to sit stalk still, and every couple of minutes, Nick would shift away from it, not liking to be stared at. Eventually he got up and took his coffee to the back room.

"Goddamn it, Ellis."

* * *

><p>Nick spent half of the morning trying to pretend that the cat wasn't staring at him. The thing hadn't moved and it was unnderving. As soon as he was able to shoo it away from the door, he left, making his way over to where Ellis was working. He might as well at least drop by to see him, something he almost never did. It was right there along the same route he took to get coffee and cigarettes. He skipped the cigarettes today, because Ellis asked and he'd be able to smell the smoke on him. He didn't need a heart-healthy lecture today.<p>

"Hey Goober." Nick called, stepping into the open door to the garage.

"Nick?" Ellis was surprised. "Somethin wrong, baby?"

The only other living person in the place was Keith, so Ellis felt like it was okay to be a little more open and affectionate with his boyfriend.

"No, why? That stupid cat creeps me out, so I decided, _hey, bugging Ellis at work might be fun._" He replied, cutting off his next sentence before he could start it. Instead he let the mechanic embrace him and give him a kiss. He noticed the slight cringe in the older of the two southerners and it excited him. He returned Ellis' hug and kissed him deeper, just out of spite. He made eye contact with the redhead as his hands slid down and gripped Ellis' hips.

"Whoa there. Take it easy." Ellis pulled away, smirking.

"I don't wanna." Nick winked.

"Keith, I'm gonna take my break now, k?"

"Uh huh." the other mechanic replied.

The two wasted very little time leaving the garage and heading around the back of the building to the space between it and another building. Nick wasted no time keeping up conversation. Something about the way Keith looked at him while he kissed Ellis had him in the mood. As soon as they were back far enough, he pressed the younger man against the wall, pinning him there as he explored a hesitant mouth with his own.

"Nick...what are you-"

"Shhhut up, Ellis." Nick answered, already starting to open his lover's coveralls.

"Someone might see." Ellis pleaded.

"Let 'em see." Nick urged, shutting the southerner up by turning him and shoving his front against the building, using one hand to pull the collar of his coveralls down enough to latch onto the left side of his neck while the right hand cupped his crotch, palming roughly.

"_Aww, shit..."_ Ellis moaned, pulling his arms free of his sleeves as Nick pushed his coveralls down to his knees, pushing his shirt up in the same motion.

"Baby you got a rug burn on your back." Nick soothed, free hand stroking his lover's erection as he rutted his tented crotch against Ellis' backside.

"Mmm hmm." Was his reply, already too out of it to form complete sentences.

"Want me to stretch you?" Nick whispered between wet kisses to Ellis' neck.

"I thought...I was gonna..."

"Change of plan." Nick corrected, "I'm gonna bang you against this wall like that really big drum in a marching band."

_Hell no, Ellis. You're not making me your bitch out here in the open._

He offered Ellis two of his fingers, pressing them against his lips until they parted and his sexy mechanic took them into his mouth, swirling his tongue around them until they were liberally coated with saliva.

"Good boy." Nick sighed, slipping one finger into his lover, giving only a few experimental pumps before inserting the second finger.

This time he went slower. Ellis took one finger with very little need for tenderness, but two and three usually hurt at least for the first minute or so. Nick was desperate for release at this point, painfully aroused, but he was not a sadist. He and Ellis had their love life worked out. Sometimes their intimacy was romantic bouts of lovemaking, and other times it was intense smoldering sex, rough without being abusive. Ellis could do rough. Ellis, Nick's Ellis could do anything.

"I'm ready." Ellis groaned, pressing his hips back against Nick's hand as the fingers withdrew from him. The gambler fumbled with unfastening his pants and pulling down the front just enough to withdraw his cock, already pulsing. He breached Ellis inch by inch, mind blown by such incredible tight heat. He let out his held breath when at last he was buried up to the hilt in what felt like heaven, already touching against the younger man's prostate.

"_Nick..." _Ellis whimpered.

The gambler loved the way his name sounded when his boyfriend said it, especially during moments like this, when his voice was throatier and his accent was more heavy.

"You want me?"

"Please..." Ellis begged, barely at a whisper.

In a time crunch, Nick skipped from teasing right to pacing his thrusts, increasing in speed and pressure with each move. Ellis needed to be finished by the time his break was over, otherwise his co-worker and best friend might come out looking for him and while Nick wouldn't have given a shit less if Keith stood there and watched the whole thing, it would have bothered Ellis. Everything was always so intimate and romantic with him. He would have never allowed someone he loved almost like a brother to view him in such a private act.

Ellis' whimpers and panting turned into moans he was desperately trying to control. They mingled in the air with Nick's less careful grunts, increasing in volume as he got closer and closer to release. His right arm was bracing his weight against the wall while his left wrapped around the mechanic's waist as his legs threatened to give out. Ellis' free hand was pumping an already weeping erection, while the other was occupied with a white knuckled grip on Nick's forearm.

"I need...I'm- Nick..." Ellis panted, leaning back helpless into his lover's strong grip, lightning crossing his vision as his body couldn't take anymore, white ropes of semen spattering over his exposed chest and abdomen as the force of orgasm tore through him while Nick finished on his back at the same time.

"Damn...I'm a mess." Ellis groaned when he finally gathered his thoughts again.

"I didn't want to come in you, it'd be pretty damn uncomfortable all afternoon." Nick smirked, tucking himself back into his pants and pulling a rag out of Ellis' coverall pocket. The two worked at cleaning the younger man off enough to where he could go back to work after throwing the soiled rag into the dumpster.

"See you at home, babe." Nick said, placing one last kiss to the mechanic's cheek before heading home.

Ellis smiled, walking with a spring in his step back into the garage, standing by his best friend and assisting him with adjusting a truck's alignment. Keith paused for a moment, before leaning in and turning Ellis' collar up.

"You got a hickey on your neck." He said, going back to his work. He stared back at his friend for a brief moment, struggling to say something before he gave up. He shook his head, incredulously. "Really, Ellis?"


End file.
